Save the Last Dance For Me: Sydrian AU
by timewarptime
Summary: Sydrian AU. All human and set in high school. Rated T for language and romance. R/R
1. Chapter 1- Will You Go?

**This is a Sydrian human AU. Set in high school. This is my first fic so please comment and tell me what you think. I do not own these characters, only the plot. All credit goes to the brilliant Richelle Mead.**

"Oh come one, Adrian, you're being ridiculous." I rolled my eyes at his ridiculous proposition to further emphasize how impossible he was being.

"Come on, Sage. It's one dance. I'm only asking you to go because you have such a wildly pathetic social life. I'm doing you a favor! Besides, we haven't hung out in forever. It's one night." He looked up at me pleadingly, his bright green puppy dog eyes flashing. He was right. I hadn't hung out with him in forever, which made my heart hurt a bit. He was my best friend and had been for years. We were an unlikely pair but it worked. I kept him on the straight and narrow (more or less) and he helped me get out of my head and enjoy what was around me. If it wasn't for him I'd probably live the life of a hermit.

"It's not my fault I haven't been social! It's senior year, Adrian. I have five AP classes and two part time jobs. I'm just trying to make sure I can go to college next year. I don't have time to go to the dance. I have this major biology exam to study for and I have to keep my grade up in that class or else my dad will kill me. I'm sorry. Besides, I don't even have anything to wear to the dance. Nor do I have the funds to remedy that situation even if I wanted to." I looked down at my feet as we walked to his car, hoping he'd drop the subject. He had this gorgeous yellow Mustang that made my heart flutter a bit. I loved cars but didn't actually have one of my own because I couldn't afford one yet. I saved every penny I earned and either put it in my college fund or my car fund. Both funds were kind of pitiful, but my car fund held more promise.

I had my eye on a 1959 Volkswagen Beetle. I found one in amazing condition for a steal. I actually planned on getting it by the end of the month. I felt bad for getting rides from Adrian all the time, but he swears he doesn't mind. He snapped his finger in my face. "Earth to Sage? Dude, it is freaky scary how zoned out you get sometimes. I worry you'll walk into oncoming traffic and not notice until you lose that deadly game of Frogger."

I cut my eyes at him. "I'd hope the car that hits me is something gorgeous and vintage so I go out in style. Actually scratch that. I'd hate to know I messed up such a nice thing with something as trivial as my death."

He scoffed. "Sage, you are morbid as hell. And nothing about you is trivial," he said with a soft smile. "So you need me to drop you off at Spencer's?"

I nodded. I worked at a coffee shop from about four to eight on most day of the week and from damn near open to close on the weekends. The owner, a self-professed coffee addict, Ms. Terwilliger had a soft spot for me and knew my work ethic, so she made sure to give me as many hours as she could. She was a bit on the eccentric side, but I respected her more than I respected most people. When I wasn't working at the coffee shop I was tutoring on the side for a little extra cash or studying.

We got in his car and as soon as he turned his key in the ignition, I was blasted with Pink Floyd, which meant that Adrian was or had recently been in his "existential crisis" musical mood. I quickly reached to reduce the deafening volume and then popped out the CD. I rifled through my purse and popped in The Upsides by The Wonder Years.

"One: I didn't give you permission to remove the deep and meaningful messages of Roger Waters from the player and two: you have the most peculiar music taste. It doesn't fit you at all." I smiled at him and changed the song to Melrose Diner and sang along.

When we got to Spencer's, Adrian walked in with me. I shot him a confused look. He usually drops me off and heads to wherever he deemed it important to go. He shrugged and dismissed my confusion by saying, "What? I'm entitled to a caffeine fix, Sage." I walked behind the counter and put on my apron and pulled my hair back. I began fixing his coffee without even asking him what he wanted, already knowing the answer. Adrian drank this horrible sugary concoction that barely resembled coffee. I put several shots of chocolate syrup into it and topped it with a copious amount of whipped cream. He smiled gratefully and tried to pay though I just waved away his money, telling him there was no need for him to pay. I could cover it. I turned and realized we were almost out of cups somehow and went into the back to get more.

When I came back I saw Adrian saying goodbye to Ms. Terwilliger and saw that the tip jar on the counter now had an extra five dollars in it. I put the cups under the counter and greeted my boss with a smile.

"Hey Ms. T. We should probably order more cups soon."

"Okay, Sydney! Oh! I wanted to say that your boyfriend there is such a sweetie pie! And you shouldn't have been afraid to ask for Saturday off! Of course you can go to that dance. I can't let your good work ethic stand in the way of having a good time with that boy of yours." She winked at me and stepped back into her office, not noticing my shocked face that quickly turned to rage. I was going to kick that boy's ass.


	2. Chapter 2- Arguments and Dresses

**Here's chapter two. I hope you're still reading. Please leave comments and criticism.**

After my shift ended and the smell of coffee had completely permeated my clothes and hair, I stepped out and started to walk home. Spencer's was only a ten minute walk from my house and the walk gave me time to stew over Adrian's selfishness. I would be losing money because I wouldn't be working on Saturday. I didn't have a dress nor did I have the money to buy one. In my rage, I decided to stop internalizing my frustration. I stopped in a park nearby and got out my phone to call Adrian.

"Hey, Sage. You're welcome." I could practically feel him smirking. That made me even angrier.

"Oh, shut up. I told you I can't go to the dance, Adrian! One: I don't have a dress. Two: if I don't work, I don't get paid. I know that you don't have to worry about that, Mr. Trust Fund, but I do. Three: if I go to this fucking dance, it will not be with you." I was shouting by the end of my rant. A couple walking their poodle looked at me. One of the men leaned over to the other and whispered something, probably about how such disturbed young women shouldn't be allowed to interact with the general public. I turned away from them and tried to breathe steadily.

Adrian didn't say anything for several moments. "Sydney… I'm sorry. I didn't think it through. I mean, I figured out a plan for the dress but I didn't think about the money you'd be losing if you didn't work that Saturday. Truthfully, I'm worried about you. You haven't been out in forever. I thought it'd be good to get you to go to the dance. I understand if you don't want to go with me anymore, but please still go, Sage."

I waited a while before replying. I didn't really know what to say. "Adrian, why didn't you tell me all of this before? It would've been nice to know before I went into nuclear meltdown mode."

"Sage, everyone misses you. Jill and Eddie ask about you all the time. Even Trey and Angeline asked me where you've been lately. You know what kind of miracle that is. They don't take the time to separate their faces from one another long enough to breathe much less speak. And I… Sydney, I miss you like crazy. You're my closest friend."

"I can always tell when you're serious. You call me Sydney instead of Sage," I said with a slight laugh.

"Look, I'm sorry about going behind your back to get you off of work. I'm sorry for not thinking about everything that would have to happen for you to be able to go." He sounded sad and apologetic. It made me think of an adorable puppy sitting with its tail between its legs after getting scolded for chewing up your shoes. You just couldn't stay mad at the puppy and I couldn't stay mad at Adrian.

I sighed. "I'll think about it. Just don't ever do something like this again."

He agreed and said goodbye. I hung up the phone, all my irritation slowly fizzling away. I was still mad he had gone behind my back, but he wasn't wrong. I had been AWOL. I walked the rest of the way home trying to decide what to do. I already had work off and Adrian said he had solved my dress problem (Lord knows what he meant by that, though). There's no reason for me to not go.

When I got to the door of my house, it swung open to reveal my very cross father. "Sydney Katherine Sage. You better have a good excuse for being fifteen minutes late. You were supposed to be home and at this table studying for your biology class no later than 8:15. It is now 8:30. Do you have an excuse for your blatant disregard to your studies?" he fumed.

I knew it was better to lie than tell him it was because I was talking on the phone with Adrian. He wouldn't accept a phone call for purely social reasons as an excuse and he couldn't stand Adrian. Instead of telling him the truth, I said, "I worked a little bit late at work. Brayden had to leave early because of a family emergency so I had to close the shop. I'm sorry I didn't call. I figured it would only delay my getting home more if I had to stop my work to call."

He nodded and motioned me inside. "I printed some mock exams for you I found online. Once you finish your homework, I want you to complete at least one of the exams. You're practically failing that class." With that, he left the room.

With a sigh, I sat down and got my homework out. I had a 93 average in the class, which was actually the highest average out of the class, but to my father I was a disgrace when it came to my bio grade. I worked until half past midnight when I had to give up. My eyes hurt too bad to read and I couldn't read anything else about cells. I went upstairs and began my nightly routine of settling down for bed. When I walked into my room to put on my pajamas, I saw a large, flat box on my bed. On the top was a note that read,

 _Sage, I talked to Jill about making you a dress and she was thrilled to make something for you. She had your measurements from the Spring Show last year. I don't know what it looks like. I just gave her the colors._

 _-Ivashkov_

I opened the box slowly, a little scared to see what was inside. I took the dress out and gasped. It was beautiful but not in an ostentatious way. It was black with royal blue splashes on the skirt to lighten the appearance of the black. It was about knee length with a full skirt and the bodice of the dress was strapless with a sweetheart neckline. It tied in the back like a corset with a blue ribbon. It was the most gorgeous dress I had ever seen. I set it immediately back in the box and slid it under my bed. I knew if my dad saw it, I would never leave the house again. I texted Adrian that I loved the dress and I would go to the dance. I decided I had earned it. Now, I had to figure out how I could go, knowing my dad would never say yes. I had a plan. I just hoped it would work.


	3. Chapter 3- A Plan

**Chapter Three! I know you're probably dying for some actual Sydrian action. I promise I'm building up to it! Read, comment, review! Once again, I don't own the characters (no matter how much I wish I did).**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

My alarm blared angrily at me. I groaned and glared at the bright red 6:00 on the clock. With a sigh, I threw off the covers and zombie shuffled to the shower. It only took about ten minutes for me to shower. Any longer and my dad would criticize me for my "blatant disregard for the environment and my obvious lack of respect for time efficiency". I put on a pair of khakis and a gauzy, orchid purple shirt Adrian got me for my birthday. Adrian insisted on buying it for me saying purple was the best color on me. I quickly styled my hair into a ponytail and slid on a pair of nude pumps and headed downstairs.

I found my father sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, reading the paper. He glanced up briefly and said, "There are oranges on the counter if you want breakfast. I threw out those breakfast bars you bought. They had too much sugar and too many carbs. You need to restrict your diet. We don't have the money to buy you new clothes."

I looked away and fixed myself a travel mug of black coffee. I put an orange in my bag and began to walk to the porch to wait for Adrian to pick me up. Despite his party boy attitude and tendency of being late, since he started driving me to school, he had never been late. He knew how much school meant to me. Right before I got out of the door, my dad looked up and said, "Oh and Sydney? Maybe rethink your blouse selection next time. You draw too much attention to yourself wearing such bright colors. It's unprofessional."

I walked out to see Adrian pulling into my driveway. As soon as he saw the look on my face he got out of the car and pulled me into a hug. He looked at me with concern. "What happened, Sage?"

"Oh just the usual. I can't do anything right apparently. I'm trying to stop taking it so personally. Today, I am apparently an obese overeater and a whore with the way I dress. But I disagree. I love this shirt." I pulled back from the hug and got in the car. Adrian pulled out of the driveway and started off to school.

"And you are perfectly shaped. If not a little too skinny. So… are we okay? I know I fucked up yesterday. I shouldn't have gone behind your back. And I shouldn't have kept the dress thing a secret. I just wanted to surprise you with it." He looked at me with his green puppy dog eyes, melting my heart a bit.

I grinned at him. "You make it so hard to stay mad at you, Ivashkov. We're cool. I love the dress," I said. My smile faltered as I said, "But my dad wouldn't ever let me walk out in it. 'Too immodest,' he would say. I have a plan, though. I'll get Jill to come over and make a big scene about rejecting the dress and giving it back. Then I'll tell my dad I have a study group on Saturday and I'll be spending the night at Kristen's to maximize our study time. That should work."

He looked at me in amazement. "You have quite the scheming mind, Sage. It inspires awe." He grew silent for a moment and looked back at me cautiously. "Will you… will you still go with me? I know last night you said you wouldn't. Any chance you changed your mind?" he questioned as he pulled into the parking lot.

As a reply I got out of the car and he did the same, confused. I walked up and hugged him. "Of course, I will. I'm sorry for going off on you last night. I didn't mean it."

I pulled back to see him, a huge grin spanning across his face. "I can't think of anyone I want to go with, Sage. No one's as cool as my best friend." We walked into school and caught up with Jill and Eddie. Trey and Angeline were putting on the biggest public display of affection they can get away with. I thanked Jill for the dress, absolutely gushing over how beautiful it was, and laid my dress plan. Jill complied and squealed about me going to dance.

"Oh, Sydney! You should come over to my house to get ready! I'll do your makeup! And I have the perfect pair of shoes to go with that dress!" Jill gushed.

"Thanks, Jill. I honestly didn't know where I would get ready. I figured I'd just get ready at Adrian's but I'd love to hang with you," I replied, smiling graciously at her.

She leaned closer to me and in a hushed tone said, "Besides, you can't put that dress on alone. You have to get someone to lace it. Do you really want to get Adrian to help you get dressed?"

I blushed and shook my head. Adrian looked up from his conversation with Eddie at that moment and looked at me, one eyebrow raised in confusion. I looked down and started talking to Jill again her sewing class.

The bell rang and we all said our goodbyes. Adrian grinned at me and bid me luck in biology and promised we'd meet at the same tree we always do so he could take me to Spencer's. We went our separate ways and I went off to hell.


	4. Chapter 4- New Friends

**New chapter! Building to more Sydrian fun. I introduced some more characters in this chapter! Hope you enjoy it. I don't own the characters, just the plot. Praise to the lovely Richelle Mead. Read and review!**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

I walked into bio grimacing. My asshat of a lab partner, Keith, strolled over, smirking.

"Hey, Syd. Looks like we're going to have a lab today. Something about flowers, not that I really give a fuck about any of it. Think you can handle doing most of it today? I'm not really feeling it today. I'll just tell Karp I'm allergic to the pollen or whatever." Before I could haughtily reply that Hell would freeze over before he actually did work for the labs we had to do, he sauntered off to go try to chat up some girl that had just moved here from Montana. She was about medium height with a strong build. She had long, beautiful, dark hair that seemed to cascade down her back like water cascades down a mountain. Her equally dark eyes flashed in annoyance when Keith swaggered up to her.

"Hey, baby. Haven't seen you here before. Got a name? I'll take your number to," he said, sounding as slick as an oil spill.

"My name is Rose and my number is 1-800-Fuck You. Call me anytime. Babe." With that she threw her hair over her shoulder and headed for the empty chair next to me, leaving Keith scowling. She put out her hand for me to shake and introduced herself. "Hi. I'm Rose Hathaway. Ms. Karp told me I could work with you since I didn't have a group. She said if anyone could get me acquainted with the class, it's you. Unfortunately, I forgot your name."

I laughed and replied, "My name is Sydney Sage. People call me by both my first and last name. You can refer to me as basically anything as long as it's not derogatory. Today we are doing some lab with flowers which shouldn't be too hard. You met Keith," I said motioning over to the jackass. "He is my-and now I guess our- lab partner. Luckily, he never does anything, so we can ignore him."

She smiled at me and we started working. She took it upon herself to fill me in on all things Rose. "I just moved here with my best friend, Lissa. She's British. You'll probably see her in the halls. She's tall and blonde with really green eyes. Her parents died last year, so she moved in with me and my mom. We moved here to Palm Springs because of my mom's job. She runs this really high tech security company"

"It was actually really good that we moved here. My boyfriend, Dimitri, lives here. He goes to college here. He's Russian." With that admission, she looked off with a dreamy look in her eyes. After a moment, she shook off her daydream and refocused on me, her gaze like a high powered laser. Rose had a very noticeable presence. Nothing about her could fade into the background. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

I shook my head and blushed. "No. You should meet my friends, though. They'd like you. There's Adrian, who's my best friend in the world."

He's tall with messy hair that he spends forever styling and really deep green eyes. He's hilarious and a genuinely kind guy. He is kinda snarky though. He's- what? Why are you looking at me funny?" She had this strange little grin on her face.

"Sounds like this Adrian is more than a friend, Sydney. You have feelings for him," she accused.

"What?! That's ridiculous. He's my best friend. It's completely platonic," I say defensively. How could I have…romantic interests where Adrian Ivashkov was concerned? It was preposterous.

She raised her eyebrows. "Just figured with the way you described him you thought as him in a…friendlier manner than you were letting on."

"I'm just descriptive. Anyway, there's Adrian and there's Eddie and Jill. Now they are friendlier than they let on. They'd never admit it but they are madly in love with each other and won't tell the other their feelings. Then there's Trey and Angeline. They let each other and everyone else in the vicinity know how they feel about each other. They're almost always connected at the mouth. You and Lissa should sit with us at lunch. We sit at the table near the big twisty tree in the courtyard."

Rose smiled at the offer and agreed to meet us there for lunch. We finished the lab and turned it in right as the bell rung. To my surprise, Rose hugged me and thanked me for being so welcoming and for helping her with the lab. I awkwardly hugged her back and bid her goodbye. I was walking to y next class when I felt arms go around my waist. I was hit with the smell of very light cologne and clove cigarettes. Adrian. I turned and returned his hug then stepped back.

"Hey, Sage. You doing a little better since this morning? I was worried."

I smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay. I got a new lab partner in biology, so I didn't have to put up with the asshat. Her name is Rose. She's gorgeous and really nice. You'd like her."

His eyebrows furrowed. "Rose, huh? I knew a Rose. Hope this one is better than the one I knew."  
"I'm sure it's not the same one. Anyway, I have to get to class. See you at lunch."

With that I headed off to my classes, counting the minutes to lunch so I could hang out with my friends. I wanted them to meet Rose and I needed to work out a few more details with Jill for the dress plan. Little did I know, lunch would not go as I had hoped.


	5. Chapter 5- Rocky Pasts

**About to get a bit heated. I apologize if some of Sydney's dialogue is a bit far out of canon for her. Still iffy about the ending of this chapter. Tell me what you think. Once again, not my characters.**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

I started toward our table for lunch with my usual salad with a smile on my face. That is, I was until I nearly collided with a visibly shaken Adrian. I called out to him as he pushed past me. He just shook his head at me, a signal that he wanted to be alone. Shocked, I continued to the table to find Rose talking heatedly to who I assumed was Lissa based on the description Rose gave me earlier and the manner in which they interacted with each other.

"What just happened?" I demanded as soon as reached them. Jill and Eddie sad looked shell shocked at whatever just happened. Trey and Angeline apparently missed everything and didn't see a point in finding out. They were sitting under the tree letting their tonsils tango.

Eddie was the first to speak. "It seems that your new friend here has some history with Ivashkov."

My jaw dropped. "Oh shit. You're _the_ Rose, aren't you? Adrian told me he met a girl named Rose when he want to visit his Aunt Tatiana last summer and things hadn't gone well. He didn't say exactly where he was though or what had happened. He just kept calling it Bumfuck, North West. Why didn't you tell me you knew him? I told you his name and told you what he looked like! Did you not connect the dots?" I was furious with her. Why hadn't she told me? I mean what were the odds?

She replied in a fiery fashion. "Look, I didn't even know his name was Adrian! I knew him as Jet. If I had known, I would've avoided that awkward confrontation!"

"Fine. Just… Just stay here. I'm gonna go try to solve this." With that I threw my salad away and went to find Adrian. I knew exactly where he would go. I went to his car, glad he parked on the farther side of the lot. If he was closer he would be in serious trouble for what he was doing.

I could see all the windows were cracked as loud, aggressive music and clove cigarette smoke poured out of the car. Adrian was singing and cursing along with the music in between long drags. I had been trying to convince him to quit but he said his life had been too stressful lately to consider that. I knocked on the window and he jumped, fearing he had been caught. When he saw it was me, he sighed and turned off the radio and stepped out of the car. He leaned against the Mustang as if standing was too much work at the moment.

"Adrian, what happened with you and Rose? I've never seen you like that over someone!" I crossed my arms and looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"We have history, Sage. I dated her the summer I visited my aunt in Montana. I didn't think it would last past the summer, but I had really fallen for her. Then, about a two weeks before I left my aunt's house, I walked in on her," he looked at me cautiously, "I walked in on her doing the no pants dance with some tall Russian dick."

"No pants dance, Adrian? You can say having sex. And I'm sorry. Why didn't you tell me before? And why didn't you tell her your real name? She said she thought your name was Jet."

"I didn't want to be myself for a summer. It was all no strings attached. Until I fell for her, that is. I don't know, Sage. I just can't sit across from her and pretend to be fine today, okay? I'll keep it together tomorrow. I just got blindsided."

"Do you still have feelings for her? Is that why you're so affected? I just ask because she's with the Russian. That's what she told me." I was cautious in asking him. Adrian's moods were as unpredictable as the tide.

"No. I don't have feelings for her. I have a greater focus than Rose Hathaway," he sighed, pushing off of his car.

"We should probably go back. Lunch is almost over. Can't have you late to your next class," he said, trying to brush off our previous conversation. He started walking back towards the school then stopped.

"You went after me instead of eating, didn't you?" he questioned looking a bit sad and guilty. "I'm sorry, Sage." He started digging through his bag and produced an apple, a granola bar, and a pack of peanut butter crackers. "I threw like ten random snacks in my bag this morning. Please take something."

"I don't want to take your food, Adrian," I said, pushing the food back slowly. As I did, my stomach grumbled. Adrian shook his head and thrust the food toward me.

"I'm not hungry, Sage. Please take it."

With a sigh, I took the food and dropped it in my bag. I'd munch on them through my psych class. Before he started walking again, I hugged him. He still looked so sad. He wrapped his arms around me gratefully. I started to pull back after a second, but he tightened his grip.

"Just give me an extra second," he breathed. I stood there for a while longer before we both headed off.

Rose caught up with me right before I went into psych.

"Sydney, I'm sorry. Liss and I will sit somewhere else until things cool off. I didn't know. Is he okay?" She looked genuinely concerned and apologetic.

"He's fine. I think it'll be okay for you to sit with us. Just know it may be a bit tense for a while. And, um, maybe break up with one guy before sleeping with another. Polite thing to do." With that I went into psych.


	6. Chapter 6- Acting on the Plan

**New chapter! Sydney acts on her plan to get her to the dance. Does it work?**

 **Slightly shorter chapter than the others. Hope you like it. Read and review!**

 **XOXO,**

 **-M**

Adrian seemed more composed when I saw him to hitch a ride to Spencer's. He threw on his classic Adrian smirk when he saw me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

"You know what I realized today, Sage?" he asked.

"What great epiphany did you have today, Ivashkov?" I questioned with a laugh.

"I realized that I just need to start acting on what I think I should do. See, if I had ever told Rose off like I wanted to instead of avoiding her and bottling it up I would have kept my cool today. So that's what I'm going to do," he proclaimed proudly.

"You mean to tell me you're going to start acting _more_ impulsively?" I asked, feigning horror.

He laughed. "It's the healthiest thing for me, Sage."

We got in his car and he immediately took out whatever angry monstrosity he had in there during his lunch break down and popped in the True Blood soundtrack.

"Adrian, you vampire obsession is getting out of hand. I mean it is one thing to watch the shows-"

"And read the books," he added.

"But to listen to the soundtrack too? Isn't that a little bit overboard?"

"Don't worry, Sage. If I was a vamp, I would never suck your blood. Even though you're totally bitable," he said, waggling his eyebrows at me. I rolled my eyes at him and told him to hurry up.

After work, I walked home and got home at 8:15 on the dot. I went upstairs, got the dress box from beneath my bed, and set it next to the door without my father noticing. He nodded at me from over his laptop as I sat down at the table and started on my homework. At 8:30, Jill knocked on the door right on cue. I got up and began the big scene, hoping it would work. My father followed me as I went to the door, probably wondering what horribly irresponsible person would come by at such an indecent hour.

"Hi Sydney. I'm here for the dress. Although I deeply wish you would reconsider your decision."

"I'm terribly sorry, Jill, but I have a study group Saturday that holds great precedence over some frivolous school dance. Also, I could never accept and wear a dress of this nature. It would draw too much attention to myself and that is not a professional way to act. I apologize if you are disappointed and I would like to extend an offer to you to join us for the study group on Saturday. It'd be a much more productive use of your time," I lectured. I could feel my father's approval radiating off of him. It disgusted me, but it was a necessary evil. My plan was working.

Jill looked at her feet. "Perhaps you are right, Sydney. Thank you for the invitation. I'll take the dress to the school dress swap they are having tomorrow for girls without dresses. I'll take mine, too. A study group would be more productive. It'd be good to raise my chemistry grade, if you'd be willing to explain chemical equation balancing more thoroughly to me."

"I'd be happy to help, Jill. If you would like, I could meet you at your house and we could drive to Kristen's together to maximize our study time. I could quiz you while we drive for maximum time efficiency. Would that work for you?" I asked, trying to sound as serious and sincere as possible.

"Actually, is there any way you could spend the night at my house that night? I could use all the time I could get. Would you mind?" she inquired, looking almost desperate.

I turned to my father. "Would it be alright if I spent the night at Jill's on Saturday to help her with her classes? It'd be better if I could focus a good amount of my time on biology at Kristen's then assisted Jill at her house. Would that be acceptable?"

He nodded and said, "Sydney, I'm glad you're not only taking an interest in your studies, but also keeping sharp on previous studies by mentoring current students."

I nodded brusquely and handed Jill the dress. We bid each other goodbye and I returned to my homework, feeling victorious. After I finished, I texted Adrian and told him our plan was a success. He replied, _You and Jailbait should be actresses. Ready for you red carpet debut? ;)_

I smiled and went to bed. One more day. One more day and I got to have a night all to myself. No schoolwork. No father. Just me and my best friend. I can't imagine anything better.


	7. Chapter 7- Day Before

**Brief day before build up to the dance. Get ready for the Sydrian moment you've been waiting for in the next chapter. Just a note: I don't own these characters. They belong to Richelle Mead, genius author.**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

I was practically vibrating the day before the dance. Adrian picked me up at my house and asked me three times on the way to school how much coffee I had before he picked me up.

"Maybe try decaf, Sage. You look like you are ready to run a marathon."

"Adrian, you promised me you would never say the "d" word again. It's like you're cursing at me every time you say it," I joked.

We got to school and found our rag tag group of friends. Jill came up to me, practically glowing. "SYDNEY! IT WORKED!" she squealed excitedly, jumping up and down.

I couldn't help but bounce along with her. I hugged her and thanked her again. We launched into a conversation about getting ready tomorrow. She said she had been watching makeup and hair tutorials all week and found something she thought would be perfect for me. I felt like a shaken up can of Coke. So full and bubbly, I might explode.

It didn't even fade when I got to bio and saw Rose who seemed like she wanted to apologize and rip my face off at the same time.

"Look, Sydney. I'm sorry stuff went down with me and Adrian, but you didn't have to call me a slut. You think I didn't feel guilty about him catching me and Dimitri? Yeah, I felt bad. But I knew we weren't serious. He said so! And I… I had history with Dimitri. He had just got back into town and I… I don't have to justify this to you. Should I get a new lab partner or will we be able to get through it?" she exclaimed with a huff.

"I'm sorry, Rose. I was just really angry yesterday. I'm pretty protective of Adrian. He's my closest friend and has been for years. It's not my fight to get into. Your history with Adrian is between the two of you. If you think we can get past this, I'm willing to put yesterday behind us. Okay?" I extended my hand to her and she cautiously shook it.

"Just don't hurt him again or else it will be my fight," I said levelling her with a cool stare.

She nodded. "I respect that, Sage."

The rest of my day went well. Rose and Lissa sat with us at lunch and Adrian kept his cool. Lissa turned out to be really sweet and clever. She said she already had a date with a guy in her Econ class named Christian. She said he wanted to take her out to dinner. Adrian piped up and recommended his favorite food joint, Pies and Stuff. I reminded him that pie isn't exactly "dinner food". He rolled his eyes.

"Sage, pie is a versatile food. It can be anything it wants to be."

We worked out all the details for the dance. I would drive to Jill's at two (apparently it would take an excruciatingly long time to get ready by Jill's calculations). The boys would get there at 7:15. Adrian would pick me up in his Mustang and Eddie would get Jill in his Nissan Altima. Eddie had finally got the balls to ask Jill to the dance after hearing her say this morning that she still didn't have a date. After pictures and such, we'd get to the school about 8:00. Jill said that the dance should be in full swing at that time and it would be the perfect time for our "red carpet worthy entrance".

I got through the rest of the day with a smile plastered on my face. Ms. Terwilliger noticed and told me whatever I was doing, I should keep up. I also that the tip jar was filling up faster than normal. I guess people really do respond better to super cheery workers. I tried to keep my mood subdued at home, as to not tip off my father to anything suspicious. I told him the fake plan: I would go to Jill's at two and would study my brains out until the next day. He told me once again that he was proud of my actions last night and left it at that. I went to bed, spinning ideas of tomorrow in my head.


	8. Chapter 8- Getting Ready For the Dance

**Hey, guys. Figured I should update though I didn't write as far into the scene as I would've liked. Got my wisdom teeth out today so it's hard to focus. Hope this reads okay. Characters belong to Richelle Mead. I promise you will get that Sydrian moment you have been craving in the next chapter. Read and review! I'm going to go wallow in mouth pain related misery now.**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

"Jill, I think I have more bobby pins on my head than actual hair at this point," I grumble, as she pushes another pin into the spectacular up-do she is putting my hair up in.

"Sydney, bobby pins are a necessary evil if you want this to hold. I'm just glad your hair is thicker than it looks. Makes it so much easier to curl."

I knew I was going to have a pin headache tonight, but I also knew Jill was right. My hair had a fierce mind of its own and wouldn't stay put unless forced.

"You should've heard Adrian yesterday. I have a study period with him after lunch and he was practically glowing. He's so excited you agreed to go with him. It's all he could talk about. It was a wonder I got any work done in there with the constant, 'I'm so happy she said yes,' and 'I bet she'll look beautiful.' Just on and on. I nearly stabbed him with a pencil. I threatened to. Twice."

I furrowed my eyebrows. He was that excited? He said all that? Jill didn't seem to notice my confusion and turned my around to start on my makeup.

"Sydney, you have to relax your face. I swear you have the most hostile resting face…"

As she applied my makeup (she swore that she should do it as I "have no experience whatsoever in the area of cosmetics"), I kept turning over her words in my mind. She was probably exaggerating. She had a tendency to read more into things than I would myself.

She turned me in around to face the mirror when she was done and I was shocked by my reflection. She had gone with blue and gold colors that somehow seemed perfect with the dress and my skin tone.

"How'd you decide on gold?" I asked her.

"I don't know. There's something about you that made me think of it."

I watched as Jill got herself ready for the dance while I waited for her help getting tied into my dress. My father texted me while she was finishing up.

 _I trust your studying is going well. Stay diligent._

I knew my reply had to be specific as to make sure he didn't grow suspicious. _I'm explaining how the capacity of electron clouds is determined to Jill while Kristen searches for practice essay questions for biology. We seem to be off to a promising start._

He seemed pleased with my answer because he replied, _It seems you are doing well. I shan't bother you any longer as to not detract from your studies. Stay focused._

With that, I smiled at a now made up Jill and put on my dress. It fit closer than anything I had owned, something Jill remarked on.

"Damn, Sage! You have curves. Why don't you ever show these off? You look hot."

"You sounded disturbingly like Adrian right then. Been hanging out too much with him," I teased.

"Trust me, he won't be saying anything when he sees you. He'll be too shocked to utter a word."

I looked at her, in a floor length, emerald green dress that made her eyes look brighter than ever and accentuated her statuesque figure. "And what about you? You telling me that Eddie's jaw won't hit the floor when he sees you?" she blushed at my comment and turned to get shoes for the both of us.

"I hope you can walk in heels, Sydney," she stated, as she pulled out a pair of magnificently strappy heels that had to be about four inches tall if not at a tad bigger, "because if not, we may have a problem."

I put on the shoes and proceeded to walk cautiously at first, then with ease. "These are perfect."

"Girl, it looks like you have more legs than a bucket of chicken in those shoes," she said in her sassiest voice.

"Where the hell did you come up with that phrase?" I asked with a laugh.

"This girl in my second period said it the other day. She's from Georgia. She always has the weirdest sayings," Jill answered as she slid on some much shorter heels. She was so tall, if she wore anything higher, she'd be taller than Eddie. Meanwhile, even with me wearing stilts I was still going to be shorter than Adrian.

We were walking downstairs to grab our clutches and double check that we had our tickets, phones, and backup makeup ("Sydney, you always need extra lip gloss"), the doorbell rang. Jill opened it to find both Adrian and Eddie waiting.

Eddie froze when he saw Jill, just as I had predicted. It was amazing he didn't drop to his knees and declare his undying love for her right then. Jill looked like she was considering doing the same as she looked him over again and again, taking in that rugged Eddie was all cleaned up in a tux. They didn't match exactly but in that moment, they looked perfect together.

After admiring Jill and Eddie's reaction to each other, I let myself look at Adrian and I was taken aback. Adrian always looked nice. He had a love of silk button down shirts and spent ridiculous amounts of time perfecting his appearance before going out anywhere. But this…

He wore a fitted suit that matched my dress perfectly. His hair was so flawless I felt compelled to mess it up a little. Even his facial features seemed more obviously flawless somehow. His high cheek bones appeared more prominent and his eyes seemed to burn with an intensity I didn't recognize. He smiled at Jill and commented on how lovely she was, then told Eddie he should pick his jaw up off the ground. He stepped into the house and laid eyes on me and simply stopped.

He stared at me like he had never seen me before. "Holy fuck, Sage…"

I blushed and looked away. "What, Ivashkov? Never seen a girl in a dress before?"

He shook his head, looking almost dazed. "Not like that before…"

Eddie raised his eyebrow at me and gave me thumbs up before bumping Adrian with his shoulder, breaking him out of his reverie.

"What do you say, Ivashkov? Ready to cause a little hell?" Eddie asked with a grin.

"Don't know if I can, Castile. I think I'm in heaven," Adrian mumbled quietly.


	9. Chapter 9- The Dance

**Alright, here it is. The moment you've been craving. I hope I did it justice. Hopefully I'll be updating more often as I am almost fully recovered from my wisdom teeth debacle. Once again, I own nothing but the plot. Thanks to the people that have followed/reviewed/favorited. It means a lot. Read and review :)**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

Eddie took Jill by the arm, making them both turn bright red and he led her out to his car. Adrian raised his eyebrow and put out his arm to do the same. I rolled my eyes, laughed, and took him by the arm as he led the way to the Mustang.

"I didn't know you could walk on stilts, Sage. It's an impressive talent. Wanna join the circus after this?" he said with one of his classic smirks.

"Are you going to join with me? I'm sure they need an elephant wrangler. Ya know, someone to hose them off and make sure they get food and water," I replied haughtily.

"Sage, have you met me? I am clearly ringleader material. Between my devastating good looks and my overwhelming charisma, I was clearly born to lead a circus."

I laughed and replied, "It is scary how you can talk people into doing what you want them to do. Remember that time in eighth grade when you actually got out of missing that English deadline by telling Mrs. Merrick that your rabbit ate your homework? When really you just forgot?"

"I just brought a piece of shredded up paper and she bought it. Good ol' Hopper," he said with a happy sigh. He looked over at me and sighed. "Damn, Sydney. You look gorgeous."

I blushed. "You don't look too shabby either, Adrian. Although I must ask, how long did you spend on your hair?" I questioned as I brought a hand up to touch it. I expected it to feel like hair product but it just felt soft.

"How long did you spend on yours?" he teased.

"You don't even want to know. I'm going to have a pin headache by the end of the night," I groaned.

He looked over at me and smiled gently. "It was definitely worth it though." Then he cocked his eyebrows at me. "And if it does get unbearable, we can sneak off and I'll help you take it down. Just don't let Jill know we are destroying her hard work."

With that, we got to the garden that the school had reserved for the dance. It was one of the most glamourous events I'd ever seen. The gardens were strung with strands of lights that illuminated the whole place with this beautifully romantic glow. It lost some appeal as they played some club dance song that resulted in underclassmen and some less modest upperclassmen bump and grind against each other on the dance floor they put up in a large clearing.

"How many babies are being made on that dance floor right now?" I pondered aloud.

"At least seven. Just beware of the hedge maze. I heard Jesse and some sophomore are getting frisky in there," he joked. At least I hoped he was kidding.

We wandered around and found an unoccupied table near the dreaded hedge maze. I was glad there were no obviously awkward sounds coming out of it, but a few minutes after we got settled and Adrian returned with watered down punch, Jesse and his sophomore plaything came out. He had a smirk on his face and dress looked clumsily put on. Adrian looked over and laughed. "Honestly, you'd think they'd have the decency to wait until they're back in his car or something."

We chatted until a slow song began to play. Adrian looked cautiously at me and stood up. "Would you give me the honor of dancing with you?" he said with a bow.

I smiled a stood up. "It'd be my honor," I said with a curtsy. Then I cut my eyes at him and added, "Dork."

He rolled his eyes at me and smirked. "Wow, try to treat a girl like a princess and this is what I get."

"Hmmm… I'd much rather be president," I said as he lead me to the dance floor.

"Fair enough. I think the country would be safe in your hands."

We slowly began dancing. Well, more like swaying than actual dancing. I wrapped my arms around his neck and his hands fell lightly on my hips. I pressed my cheek against his chest. I thought about how I was so glad that I was here with my best friend. I needed this. I had been so tense and rundown with everything going on in my life. It was nice to stop and take a break from life. Everything in that moment was so relaxing. Even the song seemed to set my mind at ease. I didn't realize I wondered aloud what song it was until Adrian replied.

"It's 'Kiss Me Slowly' by Parachute. I love this song," he said softly, leaning down towards me. I looked up at him to ask him how he knew it since it was not exactly what he usually listened to when he leaned down further and suddenly kissed me. It caught me by such surprise that I didn't know how to respond, although my mouth seemed to know. I had read that kissing felt like being on fire, all hot and exciting. This was different. It wiped my mind completely blank, leaving me feel wholly calm and relaxed, something I'm not sure I'd ever felt before. It almost felt like those moments of bliss that one gets right before falling asleep. That perfect calm, like you knew everything was okay in that moment.

However, it only took a few moments for my brain to reboot and suddenly I was freaking out. My best friend in the whole world was kissing me. I pushed him back, his eyes immediately showing hurt as he saw my facial expression.

"Adrian, what the hell?" I demanded as I ran off as fast as I could in these ridiculous shoes into the hedge maze. I felt confused. Wrong. And yet… I couldn't shake how I felt in those moments before my thoughts came crashing back in. All I knew is that suddenly, I felt like everything had changed.


	10. Chapter 10- The Hedge Maze

**I want to apologize to you guys! I promised myself I wouldn't be the person who posted chapters only every month or so and I have become that person. Between oral surgery, senior year starting, and the guy I was dating going back to college (thus effectively removing any shred of romantic inspiration from me), I just didn't know what to write. Please forgive me. I hope this sorta makes up for it all. Once again, I don't own these characters (I so wish I did).**

 **XOXO,**

 **M**

I got three quarters of the way to the center when I remembered I don't do cardio and I was already having problems breathing because of the shock of kissing Adrian. How did I feel?

 _Exhilarated_ , I thought traitorously. I took off my shoes and wandered around the next bend where I found an oddly placed bench. I plopped down and began taking down my hair angrily. This whole night wouldn't have happened if I hadn't let him talk me into going. After several long moments, I had a large piles of pins next to me on the bench and stiff curls hung down around my face.

I felt like I was backed into a corner. On the one hand, kissing Adrian was the best thing I had done in my life. One the other hand, if this went somewhere and then went south (like the rest of his relationships), I'd lose one of the only people I care about. That'd rip my heart apart.

I continued on my dangerous train of thought before it was interrupted by giggling and shushing. I looked to my left to see Jill and Eddie attached at the lips, stumbling through the maze like a blissfully happy couple wishing to get lost in their own little pocket of space and time.

My heart ached suddenly and I realized I wanted that. I wanted a care free love.

Jill and Eddie stumbled off without noticing me. I felt so alone. I was simultaneously saving and destroying my own happiness.

I grabbed my shoes and began meandering further into the maze, abandoning the pins. I walked, staring at my feet, watching each plodding step when I heard my name shouted behind me.

"Sydney! Wait, please!"

Adrian came running up, looking more disheveled than I've ever seen him.

"Sydney, I know why you ran away from me but I can't apologize for it. I've wanted to do that since the first time I saw you. I will never regret kissing you. It kills me to think that's the only time I'll ever kiss you, but I can live with the fact that at least I got to kiss you once. I love you, Sydney. I've always loved you."

Tears began flowing down my face, surely making Jill's makeup masterpiece run in multicolored streams down my cheeks. "How could you spring this on me now? I love you, too, you asshole! But I can't ever deal with losing you! How do you know this won't fuck everything up? You made me feel more in one kiss than I've felt in my whole life but I'll be damned if you think I would risk our friendship!"

"Sydney, you can't ever lose me. No one I have ever met has ever meant more to me than you mean."

He placed a hand on my cheek and carefully wiped away the tears that cascaded down it. "Please don't cry."

I hugged him tightly, unable to think of anything else to do in that moment.

"I'm not going anywhere, Sage," he murmured into my hair.


	11. Chapter 11- A Stroll In The Garden

**That's it! I've decided despite anything else going on in my life (i.e. homework), I will make time to write more Sydrian because it makes me happy and people seem to like it okay. So here's the next chapter... Please don't think I'm too evil ;)**

 **I don't own the characters (if only!). All thanks and love to the O.A., Richelle Mead.**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

We broke apart and stood there for a minute, both of us unable to speak, not knowing what to say. "Sage, I don't know where this leaves us, but we don't have to figure this out tonight. Let's try to enjoy the rest of the night. We're supposed to be partying, remember?" he smirked slightly and bumped me with his elbow. "Come on," he said, leading me with his arm around my shoulders. "Let's show these losers how to party."

"Adrian, I probably look like a mess. My hair is no longer in its designated upright position and my mascara looks like it just finished practicing for a 5k. I don't think I look right to go back out there with everyone."

He studied me for a minute. "I think your hair looks cool down. I kind of want to play with the curls. That'd keep me entertained for a while." He pulled one and watched it spring back to emphasize his point. "And your makeup doesn't actually look that messed up. Just slightly smudged around the eyes, which is trendy these days. But if you would rather do something else, we could always walk around the gardens."

"That sounds better than watching people gyrate on the dance floor," I agreed.

We meandered out of the maze and away from the dance floor where the amount of grinding going on would've make a nun swear. We continued to walk on when Adrian stopped to bend over (which seemed like an effort filled action because of his height- even more accentuated by my lack of shoes). "These flowers are beautiful, Sage. Look at these! They have this amazing golden color. These are perfect."

"They're lilies. And technically they are perfect."

He grinned at me, "I know perfect when I see it," he said, wiggling his eyebrows at me.

"No, they literally are perfect flowers scientifically. They are self-pollinating."

"Wow, Sage. Way to nerd our moment up," he joked.

"This is how you keep romance alive, Adrian! Takes notes. Talk to a girl about self-pollination and in the midst of discussing pistils and stamens, you'll have her hooked on you like you're meth and she's a junkie," I jested.

He looked unnervingly deep in my eyes, causing my joking air to vanish. "Seems to be working pretty well for you," he said, his tone deep and rough. His hands went to my arms and slid down to grab my wrists. "I can tell you that withdrawal from you is pretty awful."

His gaze was too powerful, holding mine despite my inner urge to look away, to avoid falling under the spell of Adrian Ivashkov… But I couldn't look away.

He kept leaning closer and closer. "Sage, stop me if you want to. Because I don't think I can stop myself." His eyes pleaded for me to let him kiss me. They also pleaded for me to stop him if I was going to repeat what happened last time, knowing his heart couldn't take that again.

I didn't know what I wanted. No, I knew what I wanted in that moment, but I didn't know if I should let myself. With my heart and head battling, I didn't know what to do. So, I did all I could do.

 **Please don't hate me! I'll update soon. Special shout out to a certain sweetheart named GwennyDee. You are so amazing and make me want to write so much more!**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**


	12. Chapter 12- Wanna Go?

**OH MY GOD AP BIO IS THE DEATH OF ME. I'm sorry for not updating sooner. I hope the upcoming chapter(s) makes up for it a little bit. Thank you to everyone who reads this. Shout out to GwennyDee for being a f*cking fantastic reviewer. Once again, I don't own the characters, but the plot is mine.**

 **As much as I love writing Sydrian fic, I also adore reading it. So if anyone has some killer Sydrian fics, lemme know. I'm jonesing for a new fic. Thanks loves!**

 **XOXO,**

 **-M**

I put my hands on his chest and pushed him back, just slightly. His eyes flashed with hurt, but he concealed it quickly- though not before the look pierced my heart.

"Adrian, trust me, I want to kiss you. I need to figure out what will happen if I do. I don't know how things will change between us. I don't want them to change…"

He nodded, letting me know he heard me and understood what I was saying. His head hung low and his shoulders slumped forward a bit, making him look impossibly small for someone of such great height. He put his hand on my face. "Sage, as long as I get to keep you, no matter what kind of relationship we have, I'll be happy. Just know, if you ever want something more, I'm here for that too. I don't want to pressure you though."

I smiled at him and kissed his cheek. "Adrian Ivashkov, you are the best friend a girl could ask for."

We strolled down the garden path a bit more when we heard rapid footsteps behind us. Startled, we both turned around in time for Eddie to tackle Adrian into the grass. They wrestled a bit before returning to their feet Adrian complaining about his hair and his suit both getting mussed by the scuffle.

"Dammit, Castile, do you know how long I spent on this?" Adrian griped, pointing to his now messy hair.

"Long enough to start your period, Ivashkov," Eddie snapped back playfully.

"I bleed for you, Castile," Adrian said with a wink.

Jill finally caught up, still wearing her deathly spiky heels. "Jesus, Eddie, slow down. I can't catch up with you in these!" she proclaimed, pointing at her shoes.

Jill turned to me and gasped. "Sydney! What happened to your hair! My masterpiece! Ruined!" She feigned fainting.

I self-consciously touched the curls that landed on my cheeks, wondering how terrible it must look. Adrian was too biased to give me an honest answer.

Jill smiled and pulled at one of the curls like Adrian had done earlier. "I think I like it more like this anyway. You always look so polished. It's nice to see you look a little more undone."

I smiled and we both turned to the boys who were having an intense discussion.

"I don't know, Castile. An after party at Trey's? His parties turn into full-blown ragers in no time. You think that'd be a good place to take our girls?" I raised my eyebrow at the "our girls" part, but kept listening.

"I think they'll enjoy it! We'll be right there with them the entire time anyway. They'll be perfectly fine. Live a little! Where's the party boy Ivashkov I know?"

At this point Adrian looked up at Jill and me, looking pensive. "Alright, Castile. Let's ask the girls. If they're cool with it, we'll go."

Jill lit up. "A party sounds like the perfect way to wrap up the night!"

I, however, was still on the fence. "I dunno, Jill. What about your curfew?"

She laughed. "Actually Sydney, I told my parents I was going to the dance with the valedictorian of the senior class and they told me that I didn't need to worry about curfew since I was going to be with such a 'sensible and together young woman'."

I looked at Adrian, knowing he wanted to go to the party. His facial expression told me that he would be fine with whatever my decision was, clearly not wanting to pressure me.

"Sure. Let's go. It'll be fun and I've never actually been to one of Trey's parties." _I've never been to a party, period._

Jill took Eddie's hand and started leading him back down the path. "We'll meet you guys at the party! We're going to stop for a bite to eat first." With that they left us alone.

"Sydney, are you sure you want to go? You don't have to if you don't want to. I don't want you to feel pressured at all," Adrian said with a sincere look.

"I want to go. I've never actually been to a party that wasn't a birthday party which is seriously lame to admit. It's my last chance to go to one before I graduated." I shot him a sly look, "Besides, I'm obviously a party girl. I can be fun. Maybe I'll take some shots and go crazy. It could happen."

Adrian doubled over laughing. "Sage, you are far from being a 'party girl'. Have you ever had anything alcoholic?"

I pursed my lips and shot him a menacing look. "No. But I'm going to change that tonight. Tonight Sydney Sage is going to cut loose and be a crazy, wild, fun-loving teen." My tone may have sounded like I was joking, but I meant every word I said. I was going to prove to myself that I could let go. I could have fun. I also wanted to get out of my head. All I could think about was how everything that happened tonight with Adrian and my head was warring with my heart. I wanted both of them to shut up.

I sauntered down the path, swinging my shoes in my hand. "Come on, Ivashkov. You've got a party to take me to."


	13. Chapter 13- Pies and Stuff

**Got mildly racy in this chapter. Review if you want something with a bit more steam.**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

As Adrian and I reached the car, he looked up at me and said, "Ya know, I think Castile and Jailbait had a good idea when they decided to grab some food before the party. I'm starving." As if to emphasize his point, his stomach grumbled audibly.

I gave him a knowing look. "Pies and Stuff with a stop at QuikTrip for a cherry slush?"

He grinned, "I swear you know me better than I know myself."

We got in the car and headed towards the QuickTrip. Once we got there, Adrian barreled straight towards the giant slush machine, grabbed the second biggest cup they had and filled it full of vaguely cherry flavored, bright red, sugary concoction that is more intended for four year olds than eighteen year old men.

"Want one, Sage?" he offered as he always does, knowing what my answer will be.

"No, thanks. I think I'll stick to coffee at Pies and Stuff," I said with a smile and an eye roll.

He paid for his liquid sugar and we drove another mile to this little 24-hour, hole-in-the-wall bakery we found a few years ago and frequented often. I always felt guilty when we stopped there, my dad's voice nagging me about all the sugar and calories in the sugary confections they offered, so I usually stuck to only coffee.

Tonight, however, was different. Tonight, I felt freer, like the rules I usually lived by no longer applied. Hell, just tonight I lied to my father, went to a dance, kissed my best friend, and was going to a party where I was planning on consuming lots of alcohol. Sydney Sage did not give one single fuck tonight.

As we sat down, our usual waiter, Mason, walked up. "Damn! You guys look so fancy tonight! What was the occasion? Wedding?"

"School dance," Adrian replied.

"Well, you guys look great. Especially you, Sydney. You look like you could definitely steal some hearts in that dress," Mason complimented, grinning at me.

Adrian shot him some kind of look that I couldn't decipher and Mason quickly looked away from me. "So, the usual slice of coconut cream pie and a coffee?" he asked, staring intensely down at his order pad.

"Actually, add a slice of cheesecake to that. And make sure the crust is super thick." I said. Mason briskly walked away without another look back at the table.

Adrian's eyebrows shot up in shock at my addition to our usual order. "Cheescake, Sage? Color me stunned."

"I really only eat the crust. It's my favorite part. At least, it was the last time I had it which was before my mom left. So be prepared to eat my leftover cheesecake filling."

He smiled. "I really like this version of you. You seem so… Relaxed." He glanced away, looking nervous. "I- I didn't fuck it up tonight, did I? Because I mean it. I don't want to live without you in my life. I will have you in my life any way that I can. I don't want to ever lose you."

I reached across the table and grabbed his hand. "You have me. The only thing that is stopping me from saying yes is knowing whether or not everything will get messed up. Things change when you decide to be more than friends."

"Sydney, I can tell you that I promise I will try my hardest to make sure that nothing changes between us. It'd be just like it is now except I'd get to kiss you and I wouldn't have to worry about some other guy sweeping you off your feet and taking you away from me," Adrian promised.

I looked at him for a moment. I didn't know how he could promise such things, but I desperately wanted to believe every word. Before I could think about replying, Mason came out with our desserts and coffee.

Sure enough, the piece of cheesecake he brought me had a thick, graham cracker crust that looked no short of magnificent. Adrian attacked his pie with a ferocity I've only seen in nature documentaries involving hungry lions and injured gazelles. I gingerly took a bite of my dessert and basically moaned when I tried it. I couldn't remember the last time I had eaten something that tasted so good.

Adrian looked up, startled. "Sydney, please do not make noises like that in my presence. That cake may be a slice of heaven, but I am going to Hell for thinking what I just thought. You can put a guy in an uncomfortable position by doing that."

I blushed, my cheeks flaming. "Sorry… It's just really awesome cheesecake."

He smirked at me. "I'm not kidding, Sage. That was really hot. Maybe you should order cheesecake more often."

I smacked his hand. "Eat your pie, Ivashkov. We've got to get to that party before it ends."

"Trust me, Sage. We're safe. Trey's party will go 'til at least five this morning and it's only eleven. If we showed up now, we'd be early."

We continued eating and chatting about random things like music and whether or not Jill and Eddie were _getting to know each other_.

As we left, Mason told us goodnight. Adrian held the door for me and I walked out. I turned around to see Adrian shooting Mason another look as Mason looked down at his shoes.

"Why are you bullying our waiter, Adrian?" I exclaimed.

"He was staring at your ass as you walked out. I wanted him to know it wasn't his to stare at."


	14. Chapter 14- Party Time

**Alright guys! Next chapter. I felt a little more inspired as I now have a date to homecoming (who's 14 inches taller than me!) Hope it's alright!**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

When we arrived at Trey's, the party was in full swing. The house was packed with people still dressed in their formal wear carrying plastic cups filled to the brim with beer, rum and Cokes, and other mixed drinks. Those who weren't in the house were either sprawled out on the front lawn (at least of them already passed out) or dancing and partying around the pool in the back. It was like I had been put in the typical party scene in a teen drama.

We walked in and immediately, Adrian put his arm around my shoulders, making sure I stayed close. "I don't want to let you out of my sight tonight. These parties can get wild and I don't want you getting mixed up in any bad situations."

 _This isn't wild already?_ I thought to myself as we worked our way towards the kitchen which was in the far back of the sprawling house. We reached the middle of the house when a girl from our class (I think her name was Avery?) stopped in front of us and grabbed Adrian's free arm.

"Adrian!" she squealed, "I was wondering if you'd ever show up! I was telling my college friends that _no party_ is worth _anything_ if you're not here. Wanna come meet them? I have one that is _dying_ to get to know you."

Adrian yanked his arm free from her death grip and shook his head. "I've already got my company here, Avery. Thanks though."

It was then that she actually acknowledged my existence. "Wow, Adrian. Why'd you bring homework help to a party? You do know you're supposed to have _fun_ , right?" She sneered at me, showing she thought her insult was the cleverest thing to have ever been spoken.

I felt Adrian stiffen at her comment while I turned bright red, staring at my shoes, trying to not melt into a puddle.

"Avery, I think we _all_ know how much fun you like to have. You took a surprisingly good mugshot last year. Your mother must have been so proud to have had her daughter get featured in the newspaper! Oh but you must not even think about that. Enough bail money fixed that right up, right? So I think I'm going to stick with spending the party with my _girlfriend_. Tell your friends I'm sorry and that they should really find better company."

Avery's mouth hung open like a fish's as she turned and stomped away, shoving people angrily out of the way.

"I think I could use a drink now," he mumbled, frustrated.

I was trying to process what just happened when my brain finally caught on to the fact that Adrian had called me his girlfriend.

"I think I need one too," I said, wanting to block out everything that just happened.

We finally make it to the kitchen and Adrian picks up a cup and start filling it with a mix of Coke and rum. "Alright, you said you wanted to drink. What can I make you? You're not exactly the beer type, so I think you should stick with something mixed."

I thought about it for a minute. "I'll have a cosmo," I said confidently.

"Sydney, that's basically vodka with a splash of cranberry juice. That's a stout drink. Are you sure?" he asked.

In response I nudged him out of the way and started mixing the drink the best I could with the little knowledge I had. He raised his eyebrows, but didn't say anything else. I took a sip of my drink and made a face at the burning feeling as it slid down my throat. Adrian smirked a bit.

"You sure you can handle that, Sage?" he questioned playfully.

In response, I put on my best poker face and took another sip of my drink. It made me feel unusually warm in a way I had never experienced. We began wandering through the party, drinks in hand until we stumbled across Jill. Actually, Jill was the one stumbling. To say she was intoxicated was an understatement.

"Heeeey guys!" she slurred. "Eddie and I are having _so much fun_. I'm so glad you're here!" she squealed. She hobbled over to me, wrapping an arm around me, and pointed at Adrian. "Dude. When are you guys finally gonna get together? Because I have been praying that you would since I like met you guys."

I blushed as Eddie strolled up and uncurled Jill from me. "Sorry guys. She got hold of some beer and it turns out our girl here is a lightweight." As he was talking she nuzzled up to Eddie, her arms wrapping around him, her head nuzzling his neck.

"Just make sure she stays out of trouble!" I warned. I didn't want to get in trouble for bringing Jill home completely snockered.

"I got your back, Syd," Eddie said, propping Jill up a bit more.

They wandered off and we went to the back where they were setting up a game of poker.

"Oh man! I could beat all of these jokes," Adrian said excitedly. Truthfully, I had never seen anyone play poker as well as Adrian. He then looked at me. "Would you mind if I played a game or two?"

"Go for it. See how many asses you can beat. I'll sit in the lawn chair over there 'til you're finished."

With that we parted ways. I sat on a reclining lawn chair and drank the rest of my Cosmo. Adrian was right. I was a lightweight. I could feel the alcohol quickly permeating my senses. Suddenly, I was majorly relaxed and felt slower in general. Like time no longer mattered. I had just let my eyelids flicker shut to enjoy the calm that had settled over me when I felt a hand run down the length of my arm. I opened my eyes, expecting it to be Adrian only to see Keith.

"Ya know, you are a lot hotter tonight than you usually do," he said with a strange glint in his eye.

I moved my arm, my movement slower than normal. "Go away, Keith."

"Oh come on, babe. You've been eyeing me all year long. I know you secretly want me." He put his hand on my leg, which I promptly smacked off.

"I said fuck off, Keith." I tried to push him away, but that resulted in him pinning my arms down and almost kissing me. The only thing that stopped him was the hot fury of Adrian.

"Back the fuck off of my girl, Darnell," Adrian growled. He proceeded to grab Keith by the collar and throw him into the pool. He then helped me up out of the chair and took me upstairs to get away from the party.

"Are you okay, Sydney? Please tell me that asshole didn't hurt you." He began running his hands down my arms looking for marks.

"I'm okay. Just a bit shaken."

He hugged me tight then loosened his grip as if he was afraid he would break me. All I could think was how warm I was from the vodka, what an asshole Keith was, how good Adrian smelled. How much I wanted to kiss him right then.

Before I even thought about it I was tilting my face up while pulling Adrian's face down to meet mine. The kiss started out slow then quickly built into a fast and hard kiss. He bit my bottom lip then left my mouth to go to my neck, all the while his hands wandered up and down my back and got tangled in my hair. His hands started to slide a bit further past my lower back when the door suddenly opened to the sound of Jill saying, "Ha! I knew it! Eddie so owes me $20!"

Adrian and I sprang apart and I suddenly felt much more sober than I had before.


	15. Chapter 15-Candy Bras

**New chapter! This chapter goes from serious to entirely goofy in no time flat. Hope you don't mind the silliness. Shout out to Smiles Burn In The Styx and GwennyDee for being my own personal cheer squad. You guys give me the courage and drive to keep updating. As always, I don't own the characters, but the plot's mine. The romance scenes will be picking up as I now have some inspiration. Some 6'5" inspiration... Love always!**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

He gripped my arms, not hard enough to hurt but enough so I wouldn't move.

"Sydney…" he said, looking pained. I realized he expected me to reject him again, to run away. Why would he expect anything else? It's all I had done previously.

I decided I couldn't do that again because it'd break me too. Despite that kiss being a drunken one, I had wanted it to happen. I had needed it to happen.

I pulled my arms away from his grip and his green eyes flashed with hurt, making my heart ache. I wanted to fix that pain. I needed to fix it. So I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him back down and kissed him again, just the briefest electric brush of my lips against his.

He sighed shakily and pulled me into a tight hug. "Thank you, Sydney Sage," he whispered, his lips grazing my ear.

"For what?" I inquired.

"For letting me love you."

With that, we pulled apart and went downstairs to find that Jill had caught up with Eddie. He was pulling a twenty out of his wallet as we walked up.

Adrian laughed. "Where are you gonna stick that money, Jailbait? You don't have a purse of anything."

Jill rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. "Adrian, bras don't only perk things up, they are perfect for storage. Phones, ID, money, fun-sized candy bars, you name it."

"If you actually have room that's not being taken up by your boobs," I said with a sigh.

"Trust me, Sage. It is not an issue that you don't have extra room in there," Adrian smirked.

"Wait, did you say mini candy bars?" Eddie said, zeroing in on Jill's chest.

"Eddie, stop staring at my boobs," Jill quipped.

"For the first time, it's not the boobs I was focusing on, but rather the possibility of you having a Willy Wonka bra. Cough up the sweets, babe."

Jill actually reached into her bra in the middle of the crowded room (although everyone else was too wrapped up in their own conversations to notice) and retrieved a Twix bar, slightly melted from her body heat, a few sticks of mint gum, and a pack of mini Twizzlers.  
"Alright guys, take your pick."

Eddie reached forward and grabbed the Twix bar, muttering something about how if caramel was a person he would do very foul things to it.

"Jill, how to you know the wrappers won't get messed up and you won't ruin your bra and get chocolate smeared across your chest?" I asked, confounded by her portable candy shop.

"Well I wouldn't mind if she had chocolate on her-" Jill cut Eddie off with a sharp look then explained.

"In sewing class, we had to make a unique and functional clothing item. I made the candy bra. It has mini pockets that have like build in pocket protectors. Admittedly, it can be a little awkward feeling at first but once you get used to it, it doesn't bother you. And now I can always have sugar on hand!"

 _This night can't get any weirder_ , I thought to myself. _I made out with my best friend and now I guess we're dating. One of my best friends has candy boobs. I drank at a party. I went to a school dance. I successfully lied to my father. I love my life right now._


	16. Chapter 16: Sleepover

**I'm so sorry for not posting sooner guys. I hope I didn't lose any of you guys because of the wait. School is kicking my butt and admittedly I've been preoccupied with 6'5 distraction. Hope this chapter makes up for the wait. Shout out to all my reviewers who I love with all of my heart (except for the part reserved for cookies- sorry guys, but chocolate chip gets me every time).**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

After Eddie and Jill the Human Candy Dispenser walked off, I grabbed my phone to check the time.

"Holy crap, Adrian, it's two in the morning! I had no idea it had gotten that late!"

"Welcome to the party life, Sage. Have you ever stayed up this late, Ms. Goody Two Shoes?" he asked with a wink.

I rolled my eyes. "I actually stay up this late working on homework at least twice a week. Can't be valedictorian and get sleep. The two don't go together," I replied with a yawn.

He hugged me and said, "Let's get you back to Jill's so you can get some sleep."

I texted Jill asking her if it'd be alright with her if we went back to her house for some well-earned sleep. The reply I got was not the response I was expecting. _Actually Sydney… I told my parents I was staying at your place so I could stay out later without them knowing… I was just going to stay with Eddie tonight._

I scoffed angrily. Adrian, looking concerned, asked what was wrong. "Jill told her parents she was staying at my place so she could party. I can't go home, especially not at this hour. My dad would put me on house arrest if he didn't put me six feet under first. I have nowhere to go." My head had started to pound, partially because the alcohol I had consumed early, partially because I was tired with nowhere to go.

"Well… You could stay at my place. My parents aren't home this month-" I cringed when he said month, knowing how little he actually sees his parents. "Not that they would mind if they were home. You can stay in the guest bedroom if it'd make you feel awkward to stay in mine. Though I wouldn't mind that either," he offered, with a mischievous glint. I pondered the offer, knowing that even if the idea of staying with Adrian bothered me- not that it did- I really had to choice but to take it.

I smiled at him and nodded. The smile faded when I remembered I forgot my bag at Jill's. "Adrian, all of my clothes and stuff are at Jill's. I don't have a toothbrush or a change of clothes."

"That, Sydney, is why Walmarts were invented. Twenty-four hours of all you ever need. We'll stop by one on the way home. Come on." He led me out of the party and drove to the nearest Walmart. I picked up the necessary hygiene products and went over to the clothes. Everything looked like it was made for old ladies or promiscuous teenagers. I picked up a solid black shirt and a plain pair of jeans. Adrian walked up behind me, took the shirt from my hands, and shook his head. "Sage. Color is a thing. Live a little."

I shook my head. "This is cheap and doesn't have a sparkly pink camo unicorn on it. It's my best option."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine, Sage. Don't be adventurous."

I sighed and put the shirt back down and picked up an equally plain purple one. Adrian took it out of my hands and said, "Alright, I think I can work with this one."

As we were checking out, we saw this group of very drunk sorority girls. They were buying glitter, plastic tiaras, and beef jerky of all things. I leaned over to Adrian and whispered, "On this episode of Buying a Weird Combination of Shit," with a giggle.

He laughed and said, "Sydney, you don't wanna be part of Kappa Beta Kappa?!" feigning surprise.

I cut my eyes at him in reply. "Adrian, clearly I am in a much older and prestigious sorority. It's um-"

Before I could think of another sorority name, Adrian cut in. "Ah, yes. Alpha Yam Ergo. Of nautical origins," he stated with an air of boasting confidence.

I looked at him, amazed by how weird he can get. He often went into these weird, brief trances where he goes into his head, where no one else can, and comes up with the strangest things.

"It all started when Sir Michael arrived off his prized boat, the heralded _S.S Mead_ with his wife, Kathrine. She's the one who actually did all the work and started the first nautical sorority of the time. A true pioneer," he said, looking off into the distance dramatically.

Without another word, he put our items on the belt to be rung up and then paid with me beside him insisting I could pay even though we both know I couldn't, even with Walmart prices. I had the money, but every penny was earmarked for college and car expenses.

We got back to his place when I realized that in all of our shopping, I had forgotten pajamas as a necessity. As soon as I said something about needing pajamas (because at this point I was still in a formal dress and very desperately wanted to curl up in a t shirt and some shorts), Adrian dashed upstairs (his house was by no means small with not two but three levels- one for each member of the family. The bottom level with the kitchen was his mother's- she tried baking and often failed because she would forget that she left something in the oven. The second was his father's and had two different offices, a bar room, and a massive bedroom. The third was Adrian's and it was filled with art stuff and music- my favorite by far). He came back down the two sets of stairs, loudly clomping his feet on every step. In his hands were an oversized t shirt and running shorts. I was surprised he had the latter because I haven't seen Adrian Ivashkov do much more than stroll except in dire situations and one does not prepare to dress in the appropriate running attire in those instances.

"I don't think the shorts will fit very well but you can roll them at the waistband to make them work. I just want you to be comfortable. Where do you want to sleep?" He seemed nervous now that the night was winding down.

"I was actually wondering if we could watch a movie to wind down a bit. It's what I do before I go to bed to sorta put my brain on auto-pilot. Would you mind? I don't want to keep you up too much longer though. I know it's already three in the morning and I have to be home by one."

"Oh no, Sage, that'd be just fine. I could use some winding down, too. It's been an um eventful night," he still looked more nervous than I had ever seen and I couldn't tell why.

"Just let me go put on these shorts and shirt and I'll be right out, okay?" I headed into the bathroom which his mom has decorated with seashells in the most atrocious manner when I realized that there was no way I could take this dress off myself. Jill had to help me put it on because it tied up in the back and there was no way I was getting it off alone.

"Um… Adrian?" I called out.

"What's wrong, Sage? You okay in there?" he called back.

"I uh need some help. I can't exactly- well I need some… Assistance. I'm kind of stuck," I admitted. "Can you unlace my dress?"

He appeared quickly at the door. "Sage, that is something I have been waiting years to hear you say."

I gave him an exasperated look and turned around. He began slowly loosening the stays of my dress and I could feel his hands methodically moving down the back of my dress. I kept the top up with my hand pressing the front of the dress to my chest. When he finished he slowly moved my hair back and kissed my neck.

"Sydney…" he spoke my name quietly, almost revering. I couldn't think, much less breathe at this point. I turned and kissed him, my hand still holding my dress up. I then quickly pushed him out of the bathroom and closed the door. I heard him groan on the other side of it while I slipped out of the dress and put on the pajamas. The shorts were indeed much to big for me and hung low on my hips even after being rolled up.

When I walked out his eyes were still heavy with lust. "So. Wanna watch _The Breakfast Club_?" I said with a grin.


	17. Chapter 17- Just A Little Fun

**Alright guys, this chapter is short but a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy it. Review it and tell me what you think and I'll write more like it in the future. Once again, I don't own the characters.**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

We went upstairs to his level of the house and sat in his lounge. He had a hideous but ridiculously comfortable couch that sat in front of the massive flat screen his dad had sent him for his birthday since he was out of the country instead of being with his son on his birthday. Adrian popped in _The Breakfast Club_ and we settled back onto the couch, both of us on our sides, my back pressed into his front and his arm lying heavily on my waist. Ten minutes into the movie, I felt his lips pressed into my hair. With a smile, I turned around to face him and put my hand on his face. The look in his eyes was the same look he had given me earlier when I asked him to help me out of my dress. I closed my eyes and tilted my face up and he leaned down slightly and pressed his lips urgently against mine, surprising me with how aggressively he was kissing me. He flipped us, so I ended on top of him, one of him arms held my waist to him while his free hand buried itself in my hair, pressing our faces closer together. He kissed me like the only way he could survive was pressing his lips against mine. His tongue glided along my bottom lip before tangling with my own tongue. I put my hands in his hair, loving how soft it was between my fingers. He tugged on my hair, pulling my lips from his while his mouth travelled to my neck. While he explored my neck, he flipped us so he was now on top, resting his hands on my stomach. I had my hands on his back, scratching down his back when he found the most sensitive spots on my neck. Every time I dug my nails in, he would moan against my neck, leaving me gasping.

As he moved his mouth back to mine, his hands moved further up from where they had been resting on my stomach, leaving me gasping. I knew I should probably stop his wandering hands but I really didn't want to. His hands finally landed on my chest, leaving me gasping.

"Sydney, I have wanted to do that since eighth grade," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, Adrian, you sure can ruin a moment by talking," I joked.

I slid his hands back down to my waist and kissed him lightly. "Damn, Ivashkov, we've missed most of the movie and I'm starting to get really tired."

I turned back so I was pressed against his front, watching the end of the movie, Judd Nelson thrusting his fist in the air. As the credits rolled, I felt my eyelids droop heavily and I fell asleep almost instantly.


	18. Chapter 18: Calm and Then the Storm

**Time for me to begin my last semester, guys! Exciting times! Hope I'll be updating more often. Keep reviewing and I'll keep writing. I will say that drama is about to come up. Get excited.**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

I woke up with Adrian's face buried in my hair, breathing softly, his arm wrapped around me tightly, as if he was afraid I'd leave. I smiled and sighed, stretching a bit. I now understood how he feel asleep on his couch so often. It was the comfiest couch I've ever slept on (comfier than my bed), even if it was the ugliest couch I'd ever slept on. I checked the time- 11:00 a.m. I still had two hours before I had to be home.

He must have noticed that I started stirring and woke up, looking all bleary-eyed. He smiled sleepily and held me even tighter. "I've dreamed about this so many times. Waking up with you in my arms. Can this happen more often?"

I yawned and nodded. "Gladly." I started to sit up when his stomach grumbled loudly. I laughed. "Sounds like you're hungry. Do you have anything in your fridge downstairs?"

He sat up. "I know I have muffin mix, eggs, and bacon. I was planning on making myself some breakfast this morning."

I stood up. "Let me. I know how specific you are about your morning routine. Just let me brush my teeth and change."

He stood up and wrapped his arms around me. "Don't change just yet. I like seeing you in pajamas. It's different to see you in something so relaxed."

I brushed my teeth and went downstairs to start putting everything together. It had been so long since I had cooked anything that wasn't health food. Anytime I tried to cook anything my dad considered unhealthy he would throw it out and berate for "not respecting my body". There was something soothing about being at Adrian's. I felt like it was the only place I wasn't judged.

It took about twenty minutes to mix up, bake, and plate everything. I started walking up the stairs and met Adrian on his way down, enticed by the scent of desperately needed food. I figured he would have showered like he usually does in the morning, but he looked like he had just rolled off the couch, save for the minty smell that lingered around him, indicating he brushed his teeth.

"I'm starving and that smells delicious. FEED ME!" he said, towering over me, mock-threateningly. I looked at his hand and saw a smudge of silver painting.

"What have you been painting?" I inquired, noticing he also had some in his hair. I ran my hand over the silvery strands that shimmered when his head ducked slightly, avoiding my eyes.

"Oh, nothing. You'll see," he beamed, his grin stretching all the way across his face, unlike his usual smirk.

"Should I be afraid?" I joked, walking with him to the kitchen.

"Nah, not about this? I am prone to biting in general though, so I'd be worried about that," he said snidely.

"Again, you have to lay off the vampire novels, Ivashkov."

We both dug into the muffins, bacon, and eggs I had put together, both of us so hungry we spoke very little during the meal. When we finished, Adrian leaned back lazily in the chair he was sitting in and sighed.

"Sage, can you just move in? Because this was delicious. I would've burned everything. Yes, I still would've eaten it, but it wouldn't have been nearly this wonderful. And I certainly enjoy the view."

I rolled my eyes and stood up. "I need to take a shower and get dressed." I walked over to him, still relaxing in his chair, and kissed his cheek. "And no you cannot join or watch. But you can do the dishes," I said, walking towards the stairs. I went straight to the shower and when I came out I found my clothes sitting outside of the bathroom door. Well, sort of my clothes. The purple shirt we had bought last night was no longer the plain shirt I had decided on. It now had a beautifully elaborate heart, filled with a Celtic design, lined in flames. It was perfect. Well. Almost perfect. In the middle of the heart was AYE in black letters, a nod to Adrian's fake fraternity. With a sigh and a laugh I put on my clothes and went back to Adrian's room where he was painting another shirt.

"What's that one going to look like?" I inquired curiously.

"You'll see," he said almost ominously.

With that, I backed away slowly and began gathering my things together. I had to leave before he was finished but from what I could tell, Adrian's shirt design looked like a pirate skeleton on a motorcycle. He said it was a possible tattoo design for the future and I shuddered at the thought. I left around 12:15, long enough to swing by Jill's to grab everything I had left there and get back home just in time. Nothing could've prepared me for what happened when I walked into that house.

My remarkably efficient father had all of my things neatly boxed and placed by the front door. He sat in the chair in the living room that faced the door, reading, barely looking at me when I walked in. He didn't look at me when he began to speak. "I didn't raise liars, Sydney Katherine. So you can leave. I called your boss to find out your schedule for this week so I could plan your AP practice accordingly and she told me all about you and the dance and that sinful Ivashkov boy. So you can leave. I have no use for a liar and a failure in my house. Leave and please refrain from contacting me again. I have nothing to say to my unclaimed daughter." He looked up at me, tears rolling down my face as the shock settled coldly into my lead-heavy bones. "That's all. You have until 3:00 to get everything out. I have a business meeting at 3:30." He stood and went into his study without another word.


	19. Chapter 19- Adrian In Shining Armor

**Hey guys! This chapter continues the drama that came up last chapter. Thank god for our favorite knight in shining armor. This chapter is longer than the last few. I feel bad for posting such short infrequent chapters. It's not fair to you wonderful people. Thank you for being such loyal readers. I adore all of you. Shout out to GwennyDee. You make my day every time you review. Also, Lonely Club VP, you talked me into posting sooner. I should be doing Stat homework right now but I felt bad for waiting any longer with posting this chapter so I finished it up and here it is. Stay fabulous lovelies! Read and review!**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

The first thing I did after he left and the shock had worn off was have a complete breakdown. I fell to the cold hardwood floor and curled up in a ball, sobbing. I cried hard, gasping because it was like I had forgotten how to breathe. I'd inhale and the air would get caught in my chest, like it was trying to inflate my heart that had stopped as soon as my father's study door closed. I must have been in that position for an hour or so. I only came out of it when I felt someone lift me up and put me in the seat of a car. I had exhausted myself so much I was on the verge of passing out. I heard shouting and a calm, cold voice answer the shouts. I passed out after hearing the door slam hard.

When I woke up, I was in a room that was not my own. Through tear-swollen eyes I slowly registered that I was in Adrian's room, on his bed. I had never been on Adrian's bed, but I was not surprised that it was covered in black silk sheets and a heavy purple comforter. It seemed to fit him perfectly. As I took in the room, everything came rolling back into my head. My dad. Breaking down. Someone lifting me up and putting me in a car. It must have been Adrian. I was too broken at the time to know anything but hurt. Remembering it all, I curled up in a ball under the comforter, but I didn't start crying again. It was like all the tears in my body had been spent earlier and it was too exhausting to try to make more.

Adrian came in a few minutes after I had turned myself into a human burrito and moved the comforter enough that he could get under it. He didn't say anything, just put his arms around me tightly like he was trying to hold me together. After a while of lying there like that, he spoke. "Sage… I'm so sorry. I know that doesn't mean anything right now. I want you to know that you have a place here if you want it. I've got movers bringing all of your things over now. I understand if you want to stay somewhere else, but I just wanted to make sure everything got out of the house before he trashed it or something. You can stay in here and I'll take the guest room or vice versa. Whatever you want." He gripped me tighter as he spoke.

I didn't say anything except to thank him and held closer to me. He eventually left to let the movers in and show them where to put everything. With Adrian gone, I decided I needed to wash the day off of me and got in the shower. I washed my hair with Adrian's shampoo and sat in the water until it ran cold. I got out to find that Adrian had gone downstairs. I could smell that he was cooking and decided I could dress openly without fearing he would walk in. I went out into his room to find a box meticulously labeled "Clothes" and opened it. I grabbed some underwear and then decided that I didn't want to wear anything in the box. It was all clothes approved by my father, all plain, nondescript, shapeless garments that represented how much his control had permeated my life. Shaking my head, I looked in Adrian's closet and pulled out one of his silk button ups, the green one that was my favorite. Remembering I had some pajama shorts in the dreaded box, I ventured back over to it and pulled them out, sighing at everything else in it. I put everything on, pulled my hair back into a ponytail, and went downstairs to see what Adrian was cooking.

When he saw me, he froze. "Holy fuck, Sage. Warn a guy when you're going to come down looking so damn hot. I'm going to hell for thinking what I'm thinking right now."

I looked at him confused. "I look like a wreck. My eyes are bloodshot, my hair is a mess, and I'm wearing a button up and pajama shorts. I don't think Cosmopolitan will be calling me for a cover shoot anytime soon."

"Sage. It is every guy's dream to see his girl in his clothes. You're wearing my shirt. And those shorts aren't exactly the most modest thing you own."

"Yeah, actually about that. I need to go shopping tomorrow after school. I have two hours after school before I have to go to work tomorrow. Three if I tell Mrs. Mead I can't help with peer tutoring."

"I thought there was a box of clothes up there. At least that's what it was labeled. Everything is labeled. It's a bit anal retentive."

"I refuse to wear those. I can't. I've never bought a single piece of clothing that I liked. They just remind me of how he-" I stopped there, unable to continue.

"How he used to control everything you did," he filled in.

"Exactly."

"Sydney… Do you wanna talk about it? I don't want to press you, but I'm worried. I tried asking him what the hell he did, but he wouldn't answer me. All he said was he didn't know what I was talking about, that he didn't have a daughter. That man is insane. He's an insane asshole. An insane, abusive asshole. I knew that he was strict but Sydney that goes beyond strict. Why didn't you ever tell me anything about how bad it was?" he pled.

"He never hit me or anything…" I answered meekly.

"Sydney, abuse doesn't only mean physical harm. You know that. Just… You're safe now. We're getting you away from that life. He did you a favor by getting you out of that house. We'll go shopping tomorrow."

He guided me to a seat at the table in the kitchen and put a bowl in front of me- chicken noodle soup. He must have seen the surprise on my face because he said, "I know that chicken soup is usually for when you're sick, but I find it also helps for hurt, too." It dawned on me suddenly that every time his parents left town he would always show up at school with a thermos of chicken soup. That broke my heart a little more than it was. I ate the soup and told Adrian I wanted to do the dishes. It was the least I could do. He had taken me in, made me dinner, and had promised to go shopping with me tomorrow. I felt like I was permanently indebted to him. If he hadn't come to the house, I wouldn't have ever been able to scrape myself off the floor. As soon as that thought flit across my brain, I had a realization. How had Adrian known to come to my house?

I finished the dishes and went upstairs to find Adrian playing a video game amongst the stacks of boxes. "How did you know to come?" I asked.

"You didn't text me to tell me you got home safe. You always do. Anytime you know I know you're out, whether you're going to work or the library or something, you always let me know you got home safe. I tried texting you and calling you, but you didn't pick up. After a while of doing that and calling people like Jill and your boss, I gave up and drove to your house. What I found there was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. I didn't think you could ever look so… Broken. You didn't seem to even recognize me or register what was happening when I picked you up and put you in my car." He shuddered, the image of my shattered self flashing across his eyes.

I went over and got my phone out of my pocket, showing 16 calls and 23 texts from Adrian, each more frantic that the last. I dropped my phone on top of my pants and went over to Adrian. I didn't say a word as I crawled into his lap and kissed him slowly. We kissed for what felt like ages and simultaneously not long enough. He pulled back and stroked my hair, pulling it out of the ponytail.

"I think it's bed time for the both of us. We have school tomorrow and I know that even with everything you've been through, you don't want to miss it."

I smiled at him, loving how he knew me so well. "There's that smile. I was worried it wouldn't come out for a while."

I kissed him again and then stood up.

"So, do you my room or the guest room? I'll take the other."

I shuffled my feet a bit and looked down. "About that…" I looked up at him, unsure. "I don't want to be alone tonight."

His eyes widened in surprise and he nodded. "No problem at all." He cleared his throat sharply. "Let's um brush our teeth and hop into bed. I'll remake it so it's comfortable. I think the sheets and everything got a bit twisted earlier. Do you want extra pillows? Blankets? I have a quilt my grandmother sent for one of my Christmas presents years ago. Do you get cold easily? What kind of pillows do you prefer? We've got firm or squishy and over filled or flatter. Do you have a preference?" he rambled on.

I laughed slightly and patted his cheek. "I'll be fine. Let's go brush our teeth."

When we got into the bed, Adrian scooted over to the very edge of the left side, facing the wall. "Um, Adrian? I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything, but would you mind curling up with me? It's just really comforting knowing I have you there."

He quickly moved over to me, pulling us to the middle of the bed. My head rested on his arm as one wrapped under me and the other draped across me. He rested his chin on top of my head, our legs tangling together. "I have dreamt of this for longer than you can possibly imagine," he breathed.

I smiled and closed my eyes. I fell asleep as our breathing slowed and fell in sync.


	20. Chapter 20- The Button Up

**Whaaaaat?! Two chapters in one night?! What is this madness? Truthfully I'm procrastinating and you guys can benefit from said procrastination. I, however, will regret this later. Not the writing so much as the not doing my homework part. Hope you guys liked the adorable snuggling last chapter. it was inspired by a date I had with my boyfriend last Friday. He's a cutie. Unfortunately, I do not own the characters, but the plot is my own (love to Richelle Mead). Hope this makes up a little for my less than frequent updates. Read and review! Also, shout out to elenatr and Nymphadoralover. I was just texting the boy (who reads my fic despite never having read the original series because he's a sweetie) and he was amazed by how wonderful all my reviewers are. I told him if it weren't for you guys, I probably would've given up forever ago. Lots of love to all of you out there, wherever you are.**

 **Also! If you want to hear the song stuck in Sydney's head in this chapter: here's a link!** **watch?v=7kBz0SCO2MM**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

I woke up to _Stairway to Heaven_ blasting on Adrian's phone. He grumbled and untangled himself from me, hitting snooze and knocking his phone off the bedside table. He quickly came back, wrapping around me like he had been before he had to turn his phone off. He sighed against my hair. "Good morning, Sage."

I carefully rolled over so I could face him without breaking his grip on me. "Good morning, Adrian. What time is it?"

"Five forty-five. It's the fucking asscrack of dawn. I usually hit snooze until it's 6:30," he yawned.

"I should probably get up and shower, that way I'm not in your way." I started to get up, but he pulled me back to the bed.

"Five more minutes, Sage."

I sighed and curled up next to him. "How'd you sleep?"

He grinned. "I slept better than I have in my entire life. I've never been so comfortable in my life. You're like a small space heater. I get cold really easily and you kept me warm all night."

I smiled and kissed him. "Alright, I really do need to shower. My hair is beyond help. Its only hope it a good wash and dry."

I was almost to the bathroom when he called my name again. "Hey Sage? I have a request."

"Okay?"

"Wear my shirt to school today. I don't want you wearing any of your old stuff. You don't need any reminders today."

"I will. But it's terribly wrinkled from sleeping in it. Do you have an iron?"

"Leave it on the counter in the bathroom. I'll grab it once you're in the shower and iron it."

"You know how to work an iron?" I asked baffled.

"Sage, I am a man of any talents. Ironing is one of them," he said with a boasting flourish.

I shook my head, leaving to go into the bathroom. I turned the water to scalding hot and dropped my clothes to the floor with exception of the shirt, which I left on the counter per Adrian's instruction. I got all cleaned up, humming as I showered. I had a song by The Dollyrots stuck in my head that I couldn't get out. When I got out, I lingered in the bathroom for a bit, doing my hair and brushing my teeth. When I came out, I put on my underwear, a bra, and pants and started to pull on Adrian's shirt (which he had left on the bed for me) when Adrian walked in.

I froze, his shirt on me but completely unbuttoned. He froze too, shocked to see me in such a state, obviously not wanting to look away, but trying to for my sake.

"Oh my god, Sydney I am so sorry. I didn't mean to. I should've knocked. I just kind of figured that you'd be dressed based on how efficient you always seem and the amount of time that had gone by. I should've knocked," he spit out, flustered.

I finally unfroze, buttoning the shirt at lightning speed. "Nope. Totally okay. I shouldn't have taken so much time doing my hair. The bathroom's all yours. You should have plenty of hot water for your shower. I'll go downstairs and eat breakfast. Meet you down there?"

Before he could answer, I grabbed my bookbag and ran downstairs. I grabbed a muffin leftover from yesterday morning and munched on it. With each bite, my father's voice echoed in my head scolding me for such blatant calorie and sugar intake. I shook my head as if trying to shake the voice out of it. Around 7, Adrian came down and said it was time to roll out.

When we got there, Jill and Eddie met us at the car. Jill handed me coffee and Eddie gave me a hug. They didn't say anything, but I knew Adrian had talked to them and told them about everything. I almost wanted to cry again at their kindness and friendship, but I held it together and thanked them. As I sipped my coffee, Jill told me about her horrible post-dance hangover that she claimed to still be getting over.

"I swear Sydney. I puked in Technicolor. Never combine Rum and Coke with gummy bears," Jill recounted.

"And who held your hair back while you unicorn vomited everywhere?" Eddie asked with a very sassy tone.

Jill rolled her eyes as the bell rang. The boys left us to go to their lockers and Jill walked with me to ours. "Sydney, is that Adrian's shirt?"

I blushed and nodded. She grinned and jumped up and down. "Dude that is freaking adorable. You guys are like the dream couple. I mean really. This is like the stuff in romance novels. Girl falls for good friend, girl abandons horrible past to pursue beautiful future with hot guy friend now boyfriend, and they live happily ever after as do their quirky adorable side character friends. I swear I read some vampire book with such a similar plot it's scary."

"You and Adrian with the vampire books. I don't understand."

"Sydney, when was the last time you read a book from this century?" Jill inquired with a perfectly executed eye roll, her signature sign of exasperation.

"Excuse me, I just read an awesome memoir. It's called _Let's Pretend This Never Happened_ by Jenny Lawson and it's awesome."

"Okay, fine. You win."

We parted ways and I walked into AP Bio to find Rose verbally sparring with Keith.

"Listen creep, no means no. Stop asking me out. Stop with the cheesy perv pickup lines. Stop staring at my boobs and thinking I don't notice when you do it."

When he saw me, he cringed, probably thinking of the last time he tried to mess with me. Adrian scared him pretty bad. "Hey Keith," I growled, "Rose is my friend. Which means that if you mess with her, you mess with me. Last time you tried that, you got the shit beat out of you. Reconsider, asshole." He slunk away and Rose looked at me gratefully.

"Do I even want to even know what happened last time?" Rose laughed.

"Nah, pretty uneventful story."

She looked at me curiously, then her eyes widened. "Sydney… Are you wearing one of Adrian's shirts?"

I looked away from her, avoiding her intense gaze. "Um. Yeah. We're dating now and my dad kicked me out and Adrian let me move in. I didn't really have any clothes to wear so he let me borrow a shirt until I go shopping today after school," I replied hurriedly.

I looked up to find Rose smirking. "I knew it. Man, I owe Lissa $10. I figured it would take you guys longer to be official.


	21. Chapter 21- Tribal Print Leggings?

**I wanted to put up this short chapter before I continued on. I thought it would be really cute to have as a short chapter. The "fashion show" mentioned will happen in the next chapter, fear not. RxR if you want more!**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

The rest of the day went on without any major incidence. Adrian kept me perked up, talking about our "epic sleepover party", making it seem like an adventure rather than the truth that my father had thrown me out and disowned me without a thought for defying him and going to a dance. The ludicrous truth of the situation was almost laughable. Despite Adrian's efforts, I could still feel myself fading as the day went on. Eddie and Jill's pitying eyes that fell on me when they thought I wasn't paying attention didn't help either. I was grateful when the final bell rang, leaving me free to go to the mall with Adrian. It was a step towards what I guess would become my new normal.

I met Adrian at his car as soon as I could fight my way through the crowds of departing students. He was leaning against his car, reading one of those cheesy vampire novels I loved to tease him about. He looked up as I approached and moved to open my door for me before I could reach the car to get the door myself.

"You know, I am capable of opening my own door," I scoffed, standing I the between the open space and Adrian, who was still holding the door open.

"Sage, chivalry is not dead. Besides, you've given me the perfect opportunity to do this," he said, leaning in and kissing me suddenly and unexpectedly. I kissed him briefly then pulled back.

"Adrian, I don't exactly think I'm the public displays of affection type," I admitted, looking at my shoes.

He smiled. "That's okay, Sage. I just wanted to remind you I'm here for you."

We went on to the mall after that and Adrian took me straight into some trendy store that I had only ever been allowed to walk past. "Alright, Sydney. Time to introduce you to the world of color and comfort. First things first, you are getting sweatpants. And skinny jeans. Your ass in skinny jeans…" He looked off dreamily. I snapped my fingers in his face to regain his focus.

"Lead the way, all knowing one," I conceded.

Before I knew what was happening, Adrian had gathered clothes that were the exact opposite of everything I had previously worn. He had picked up this deep, royal purple top and the softest gray sweatpants I had ever felt. Every rack seemed to be a treasure trove of adventure for him. I had to stop him when he started picking out tribal print leggings and neon orange skinny jeans. With a look of manic glee, he looked at me and said, "Time to release your inner fashion model, Sage. Try on all of this. Show me everything. You are going to finally wear what you want. Let's go!" he shouted like a warrior running towards battle as he rushed me to the dressing room.


	22. Chapter 22: The Dressing Room

**Hello lovelies! Here's a cute shopping scene. The next chapter will be more serious, I think. I've got new inspiration now in the form of hope, not a 6'4, nice but dull, person. Thank you to all my readers who actively keep up with this and review it. I can't tell you how happy it makes me to see reviews and just to know that I am not merely shouting into the Sydrian fanfic void because I still can't cope with the fact that the series ended. You guys make me feel significantly less alone and loved and it's more than I ever expected to get. As always, I do not own the characters, but the plot is my own. And as always, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my Georgian heart, whether you are also in the States or on the other side of the world. If you are ever in Georgia, I'd love to meet you guys. You make me feel so special. I'll stop gushing now.**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

I learned many things on that shopping trip with Adrian. The biggest thing I learned was to never let him have free range of picking what I tried on.

"Sage, I have one rule. If I am to accompany you on this exciting shopping trip, you have to try on everything that I pick out and show it to me."

"Adrian, if you are trying to use that as a ploy to see me in the slutty clothes of your choice, don't expect it to work."

"I mean it, Sydney. I want to see everything you try on so you don't have a chance to talk yourself out of it. I have the feeling that you'll convince yourself that you don't look good enough in nearly everything you try on because you have the weirdest perception of yourself."

"Adrian, I have a perfectly decent perception of myself. For some reason you can't get it through your head that the stuff you tend to pick for me is way too tight. It's not flattering. I'm way too… Curvaceous for that if I'm putting it nicely."

Adrian rolled his eyes at me. "Everything you try on, you show me. Got it?"

I rolled my eyes back at him and agreed to end the argument.

"Good. Now you go ahead to the dressing room with the shirts and tops you have and I'm going to pick up a dress I saw earlier for you. I'll bring it to the fitting room you're in when I find it again," he leaned down and kissed me lightly. "Don't miss me too much," he joked with a wink.

I had just put on an outfit I had found- purple skinny jeans and a white peasant blouse with stitched flowers in the same shade- when Adrian came back and knocked on the door of the dressing room I was in.

"Let me in if you're decent. Let me in even if you're not. Especially if you're not," I could hear the smirk in his tone. With a slight jokingly exasperated sigh, I opened the door.

"Does this outfit look okay? Do the pants look too tight? I'm not sure if I can pull off skinny jeans. Is the top not too low cut?" I asked nervously.

Adrian shook his head in disbelief. "Sage, did you look in a mirror? How can you not know how sexy you look? And you're really asking me if your top is too low cut? You could have it cut fucking Elvira low and I'd be fine with it."

"Then I guess I'll put it in the to-buy pile." I said, moving back into the dressing room.

"Wait, Sage. I picked out something I want you to try on." I moved back to the door and Adrian handed me this beautiful but very risqué looking dress. It was a nude colored fabric with a maroon lace overlay. It was definitely shorter than anything I owned, coming about mid-thigh, and had a near plunging neckline.

"Adrian…"

"Just try it on. For me." Taking the dress from him, I started to step into the dressing room with the dress when he called me back again. "You can't wear something like that without some really sexy heels with it. I asked the sales lady what would go with it. At first she told me she didn't know if they had heels in my size and that she was worried the dress wouldn't fit across my shoulders with the size I got and I had to stop her and tell her it wasn't for me, it was for my girlfriend. So she handed me these." He handed me a pair of nude pumps, about three inches tall.

Taking the shoes too, I shook my head slightly at him, feeling like a Barbie doll. I changed out of the outfit I had on and put on the dress, struggling a bit to zip it all the way, but I managed. I slipped on the shoes, teetering slightly as I balanced on what I considered stilts, and opened the door to find Adrian leafing through my copy of _A Tale of Two Cities_ that he had snagged out of my purse.

"Sage, what the hell are all these tape flags for? And your annotations in the margins are in tiny serial killer print. How the hell do you write that small? You're not even reading this book for class, you're reading it for fun."

"The tape flags show different literary elements I thought were cool. Like the blue ones show cool religious allusions that I wanted to make note of. The yellow ones are for-" at this point he had looked up at me.

He held up a hand to stop my explanation. "Sage, I can't focus on what you are saying right now. Holy shit. I-" he stopped mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open in surprise.

I crossed my arms, trying to cover myself up a little, embarrassed. Unfortunately, with the cut of the dress all I succeeded in doing what making my boobs more obvious. "Is it that bad?"

Without another word, Adrian stood up and pulled me back into the dressing room I was using. He quickly locked the door and then kissed me hard, pressing me against the wall. One of his hands tangled itself in my hair while the other went to my hip, keeping me against the wall, not that I would want to move. He moved his mouth to my neck and I tried to stay silent given that we were in the middle of a department store- closed door or not sound carries and I did not want to be the reason some poor mother would have to explain what those strange sounds coming from the other dressing room were to her six year old.

"So the dress is okay?" I panted. He laughed against my neck and pulled back from me.

"I think you can add it to your to-buy pile." He stepped back. "Now then, I think you have more stuff to try on. That blue shirt would look great with that white skirt right there." He began to step out of the dressing room.

I stuck my lip out, pouting. "Where are you going?"

"To find a cold shower if I can. And maybe a soft pretzel," he joked. Well, at least I think he was joking.

"Well wait for me to finish up in here. You said you wanted to see everything and I want a soft pretzel, too."

He nodded and sat down. I tried on about four more outfits, all with bright and rich splashes of color, and Adrian said I needed them all. He scooped them up and went to the cash register. "Adrian I think we should rule out half of these. I can only cover that much."

He shook his head. "I got this, Sage. And before you argue, the only perk of having the parents I do is that they make a shit ton of money and think giving some of it to me is the same thing as giving affection. So don't sweat it."

"Fine. But I'm buying pretzels."


	23. Chapter 23: A Promotion

**I'M SORRY IT'S BEEN SO LONG**

 **-M**

We sat on the edge of a fountain outside the mall, shopping bags at our feet, munching on pretzels the size of our faces. "So Sage… Are you okay? I know this shopping trip was to get your mind off of things but I can't help but worry."

I paused before speaking. "No. I'm not okay. I mean my whole life as I've known it is completely upended and no, it wasn't the life I wanted, but it was one that I knew. I knew how to navigate it. Now? I feel utterly lost. And I don't feel comfortable letting you take care of me like this. Don't get me wrong- I appreciate it with my whole heart, but I feel weak. I feel like I have been taken out at the knees. I hate feeling helpless like this."

He didn't say anything for a long time. He simply wrapped his arms around me like he was keeping me together. "Sage, you aren't helpless. You can get through this. And as for me, I can back off if you want. I just don't want you to feel alone through all of this."

"I know. I really appreciate it." I lingered in his embrace for a moment longer than pulled away. "I need to get to work."

He nodded but paused. "One thing before we go." He pulled me into a deep kiss, ignoring the fact that we were surrounded by people. When he pulled away I was left dazed. I turned my head and noticed a group of girls from my lit class pointing at us with shocked looks on their faces. I started to point them out, but it seemed Adrian had already noticed. He grinned at them in his beautifully cocky way and grabbed my hand. "Come on love, time for you to feed people's coffee addiction."

When I got to work Ms. Terwilliger drilled me with questions. "Tell me about the dance! Do you have pictures? Was your date as much of a dreamboat as he looks? What did your dress look like? Your makeup? Your hair? Did you go to any parties afterward?"

"Ms. Terwilliger, I can only answer one question at a time," I laughed.

She laughed. "Fine, then answer this one. Did you have fun?"

I smiled. "It was wonderful. I had more fun than I've ever had in my entire life. It-" I broke off, my smile faltering.

Her face darkened, seeing my expression change. "What happened Sydney?"

I told her everything: getting kicked out by my father, Adrian coming to my rescue, moving in with him. She listened quietly, saying nothing but occasionally nodding. After I was finished she hugged me and said, "Well I guess today is a good day to tell you I'm promoting you to assistant manager of the coffee shop. You already work so much that your hours wouldn't change, but it's a significant raise. Sounds like you needed some good news."

I stood with my mouth agape. "But I thought Brayden was assistant manager."

"God I couldn't stand that kid anyway. He came in yesterday and quit saying he got some fancy internship and was tired of 'selling overpriced caffeine to plebians'. His words not mine. I told him I was happy to see him go so I could finally promote you."

I laughed and thanked her. "You're welcome. Now go give your hot boyfriend a coffee on me. He's lurking in the corner reading some trashy vampire novel."

I brought Adrian an overly sugary coffee drink with a mountain of whipped cream as instructed by Ms. Terwilliger.

"Good news, Sage?"

"Definitely," I said, kissing his cheek. "I think things will be okay." I meant it.


	24. Chapter 24: Come to Bed

**Would've been longer but I thought a nice little cliffhanger would be fun.**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

By ten o' clock I had made countless lattes, cappuccinos, and macchiatos and the smell of coffee had permeated every inch of me. I had sent Adrian home hours earlier, reminding him that he had homework to do so I was left to walk back to his house. It wasn't any longer than a fifteen-minute walk and I liked walking after work. It allowed me time to think and relax, something I desperately needed after today. When I got to my new home, Adrian was asleep on the couch on his floor of the house while David Bowie played softly in the background. He looked so peaceful and vulnerable lacking the usual sarcastic facial expression he wore during the day. I walked into the bedroom and put on a pair of sweatpants and a purple tank top courtesy of today's mall adventure then brushed my teeth. I went to the couch and sat down on the edge of it.

"Hey Adrian? I think you might be more comfortable in your bed."

He stirred and sleepily opened one eye. "Not if you're not in it." He pulled me down so that I was laying on the couch with him. "You smell like coffee," he mumbled. " 's delicious."

I laughed and turned to face him. "You really need to move to the bed. You're going to end up sleeping funny if you stay here and you won't be happy in the morning."

He stirred a little more, opening his eyes, waking up more. "Damn, how do you always look so good?" He ran his hand along my side, up and down. I shuddered slightly and closed my eyes, all the tension in my body dissipating. "Sage… I can't even begin to tell you how much I want you."

I pulled back slightly. "Dangerous words, Adrian. Very dangerous."

He kissed me. "Let's go to bed."


	25. Chapter 25- Daisy the Guinea Pig

**I have decided the best place to write is in coffee shops ala '90s era Portland. I'm sorry for taking so long to update. A lot happened since I last updated that knocked the wind out of me. I lost my creative spark because I was miserable. To try to get out of my creative funk, I started reading a lot of fanfic instead of writing it to try to get me back to go again. Thank you so so much to** **Emeline Rousselot. You got me back into writing by being an amazing writer. Guys, if you are looking for awesome Morganville Vampires fics, look no further than Emeline's fics. I will hopefully be writing more from here on. Please read and review. I'd love to hear what you guys think and if you have any ideas for this fic I would love to hear them. Also, GwennyDee, if you are still reading, I want to give you a quick shoutout too. Your reviews have always encouraged me to write more, so lots of love to you halfway across the world.**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

He sat up suddenly and scooped me up, carrying me to the bed.

"Adrian… No funny business."

"Trust me, Sage. I know. What about some slightly humorous under-the-table work?" he asked with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and huffed, exasperated. "I've had a rather long day, Adrian. I love you dearly but I'm going to fall over dead if I don't get sleep soon."

He laid me down on the bed and curled around me, kissing my neck. "I can't have you falling out on me like that. I'd like you to stick around." He then started to bite my neck, making me squeal.

"Adrian, I know you like to read trashy vampire novels but that doesn't make you one." I joked.

"I dunno, Sage. With all this sex appeal, I'd make a great vampire. Just one look from this brooding, handsome sex-on-legs and girls would be dying for me to bite them."

"One, they do that now, and two they'd probably literally be dying."

"Oh, come on, Sage. Just because these good looks convince you to go along with my stupid plans doesn't mean it will convince others.

"And what stupid plans are you referring to?"

"Oh, I've had several through the years and you know it. Remember when you got upset over the class guinea pig being man handled in seventh grade so I created an elaborate plan to sneak him into my book bag to take him home and give him a chance at a better life?"

I started cackling. "I remember that. You gave one of the kids in class five dollars to drink milk even though they were severely lactose intolerant. They ended up projectile vomiting all over the front of the classroom and in the mayhem, you grabbed the guinea pig out of her cage and snuck her into your bag without anyone noticing."

He nodded, recalling his great victory. "And you know what, Sage? No one noticed until my mom called the school to return poor little Daisy the guinea pig. So in trying to win your affection and free the constantly poked class pet, all I got in the end was a two-day suspension and a bag full of nervous guinea pig shit."

I rolled over to face him, then kissed him. "Sometimes chivalry falls on its sword, love. But don't worry. You're still my hero even if Daisy the guinea pig didn't make the quick escape you planned." I was quiet for a moment then spoke again. "You have a knack for that, you know."

He pulled back slightly, with a questioning look on his face. "A knack for what?"

"For taking things home with you in order to save them from the shitty lives they have."

He just hugged me. I don't think he knew what to say. We laid there for several minutes and I was almost asleep when he said, "Hey, Sage?"

I murmured sleepily, "Yeah?"

"You're a hell of a lot cuter than a guinea pig."

I smiled and fell asleep.


	26. Chapter 26: Mama's Coming To Town

**Two chapters in one day?! What?**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

About a week into me staying at Adrian's, we had a routine down. I'd take a shower in the morning before he even got up, so I'd be ready and dressed while he rolled out of bed and showered. I would catch up on reading while I waited on him, then we would leave for school. One of the perks of being assistant manager at the coffee shop was that I could take home any excess food we had at the end of the night that would be too stale to sell so Adrian and I usually ate slightly stale muffins and bagels for breakfast. He was partial to the double chocolate muffins while I mooned over the asiago bagels.

We'd go to school then I'd go to work where he would sit and order super sugary coffee and either read or do homework until he got hungry and he would go home and make something. Usually some kind of soup or casserole, which could be very dangerous knowing Adrian. He saw soups and casseroles as a chance to combine a crazy number of ingredients that somehow almost always turned into something amazing. Sometimes he would come back to the shop with a thermos of his latest concoction to let me try it on my dinner break. He quickly learned to bring two because Ms. Terwilliger was always excited to see what he made. She told me daily that she was so glad I had found such a "smart and dapper young man".

When I'd get off work I would walk home- now equipped with a stun gun because Adrian worried- and would usually find Adrian passed out on the couch with his hands stained in all the colors of paint and inks he used for his art projects. He was compiling a portfolio for his college application and wouldn't let me look at any of it- no matter how many times I stomped and harrumphed and rolled my eyes at his secrecy.

Tonight when I got home, he had purple and gold paint streaks in his hair from what he had been working on. He wasn't asleep on the couch, but he looked tired. He hadn't stayed long at the coffee shop and hadn't returned around my break, much to my boss' dismay. "I was really hoping he would bring me something with those organic sweet potatoes I sent home with you," she moped.

"Sage," he breathed when I walked into the room.

He hugged me and breathed in the coffee scent that still lingered in my hair and on my clothes. "Missed you. How was work?"

"It was work, nothing too bad. Although, I do have to request that you make something with those sweet potatoes and bring it in. Terwilliger is desperate for something. I think she's given up on cooking for herself because you do it so often for her." I kissed him on the cheek and pulled away to stretch. After repeating the same motions at work the whole time, my body felt stiff and mechanical. I had found a yoga class at the local college rec center and planned on going on the weekends.

He laughed. "I can do that." His expression darkened a bit. "Um. Sage. I have something to tell you."

"What? What is it?"

"My mom is coming back home for the weekend. She has a break in between her assignments at work so she's coming home from Chicago for two days before she jets off to Dublin. I told her that you are staying here and she's fine with that, but I just wanted you to know."

I stopped for a second, unsure what to say. Adrian said that his mom was fine with it, but I knew otherwise. She had never really liked me. She thought that I was a bad influence on Adrian. Which made me laugh given the circumstances. She wanted Adrian to go to business school and become a wealthy cold hearted bastard like his father because that's how she defined success. She hated me because I always encouraged his art.

I slapped on a smile and said, "Totally cool. Are you excited to see her?"

He paused for a minute and assessed my face. He was gauging how real my smile was. "I think I'm excited. It's been three months since I've seen her."

"It'll be wonderful. You should make some soup with those sweet potatoes to welcome her home. It'll be a sweet sentiment and my boss will get off your back- two birds, one stone, right?"

"I'll see if my mom is actually eating real food and I will if she says yes."

"Eating real food?"  
"She's a fan of lemonade cleanses. Mostly because she's crazy and thinks being thin makes her a better businesswoman. Don't ask- I can't explain it."

"It's probably best that you don't understand it. I'd be worried if you did- it would mean you're crazy."

"Oh, Sage. I am crazy," he smirked. "For you."

I hugged him. "So why is your hair multi-colored?" I inquired, laughing.

"Oh, I got frustrated with my latest work and ran my hands through my hair in frustration. Kinda forgot that my hands were splattered in paint."

"You'll have to let me see it."

"Nope," he said, kissing me.


	27. Chapter 27- Mommy Dearest

**Here ya go, guys. Next chapter featuring Daniella. I may have made her a little more heinous than she was in the books. None of the characters are mine, much to my dismay. R/R**

 **XOXO,**

 **M**

As the days got closer to his mother's arrival, Adrian got more and more tense. I would come home from work and instead of painting or dozing on the couch, he'd be pacing. Last night, he was up until two in the morning baking and frosting cupcakes simply because it was something to do.

"I can't sleep, Sage. I think I'll go bake something."

Between the sounds of his nervous energy, the soundtrack that went along with it (Led Zeppelin blaring in the kitchen), and him not being beside me when I slept for most of the night, I was exhausted. I knew that he always became stressed when his mother came into town, but I had no idea it was to this level.

All of his frenetic energy was catalyzed with his mother's arrival. He went into a frenzy the day that her plane landed. He put away all of his art supplies and his canvases in an effort to avoid the "art in a useless hobby, certainly not a career choice" lecture. He made a chili with the sweet potatoes and sent me with a massive thermos full of it for Ms. Terwilliger.

"Adrian, are you sure you don't want me to call out of work so I can be here with you when you get home?"

"No, Sage. It's okay. I'll be fine- I promise."

I looked at him, disbelievingly, but nodded. "I'll be back at nine tonight. Call me if you need me to come home early." I knew Adrian, though. Even if he needed me he wouldn't call me.

I left work an hour early and got back to the house at eight to find Mrs. Daniella Ivashkov lounging on the couch downstairs with a gin martini in one hand and a cigarette in the other. She was wearing a perfectly tailored pantsuit and looked like a movie villain. She glanced at me dismissively and said, "Oh, yes. My son told me he took you in as a favor. It's a pleasure to have you stay."

 _Oh, I'm sure it is_ , I thought while trying to keep my eyes from rolling. "Thank you for being so hospitable, Mrs. Ivashkov. I don't know how I could ever thank you or Adrian."

She looked up from her martini. "Yes, I'm sure that would be difficult."

I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from replying. "Where is Adrian?"

She waved her hand in a noncommittal gesture. "Who knows where that boy ever is? He stalked out of here like a petulant child a few moments ago. Completely unwarranted, too. I was just asking him about his prospects for Dartmouth and then- well, you know Adrian- he started rambling about art school." She laughed after finishing that sentence.

"And he got his feelings hurt when I told him I couldn't eat. My personal trainer said a juice cleanse this week would be the perfect thing to help me with jetlag and lingering… frustration from any difficulties I encountered."

I was ready to explode. She couldn't accept any olive branch he extended. She referred to him as a difficulty. I walked upstairs in the midst of her monologue and went to put on the maroon lace dress that Adrian and I bought the other day. I knew where he had gone and there was no way I would get in looking like a barista.

I wish that Jill hadn't been right about my inability to do makeup. I put much more than I usually do on, including some lipstick that Jill gave me to match the dress. After a bit of primping, I went off to go pull Adrian off the ledge he was teetering on.


	28. Chapter 28: Dimitri The Bouncer

**Dearest elenatr, here's a longer chapter for you. Hope you guys like rough and tough Sydney. Not my characters, but it is my plot. R/R lovelies.**

 **XOXO**

 **M**

I "borrowed" one of Mrs. Ivashkov's cars and headed out to a local club that I knew Adrian went to occasionally to blow off steam if things got too heavy. I couldn't remember the last time he came here, but then again it's not like I always know his whereabouts. I, personally, had never been inside the club, but I have ridden with Eddie when Adrian lost track of himself and ended up needing a ride home. He would lean on Eddie and stumble to the car where Eddie would put him in the back of the car with me. Adrian would often just put his head in my lap and talk about how his spirit had grown dark and whatever was plaguing him, completely uncensored.

I put on a persona of complete confidence and walked up to the very front of the line that stretched far on the sidewalk of the club. I looked at the ridiculously tall bouncer expectedly and flashed my ID. He crossed his arms and looked at me. In a Russian accent, he spoke, "If you did not notice, there is a line. A million girls in nice dresses try this all of the time. You are no different. Short dresses do not work on a man in love. Back of the line."

Something clicked in my head when he spoke. He was tall, Russian, about college age… I looked up at him inquisitively. "Are you Dimitri?"

He looked taken aback, breaking his stoic appearance briefly. "How do you know my name? Have we met before?"

I laughed. "We haven't, but I may as well have with how much Rose talks my ear off about you in Biology." Hearing her name, his facial expression softened. "Look, I'm sorry for the whole act earlier, but my very upset boyfriend may be in there and I just need to get him out before he causes much trouble. You actually- well kind of- know him. Maybe by the name of Jet?"

He cringed hearing that. "I certainly feel like I owe him. I didn't know what had been happening until he-" I held up my hands to stop him. I really didn't need to relive that story.

Dimitri moved the rope and let me in. "Come back and get me if you need help with him." I nodded and thanked him.

I walked in and started to worm my way through the dancing masses, desperately trying to get to the bar. I knew that Adrian would be there and prayed that he wouldn't be too far gone for me to get him out. The dress I was wearing made me feel too exposed and the stench of sweat and alcohol that permeated the air made me feel claustrophobic. I was almost to the bar when I felt someone grab my ass. I turned and some smug guy was looking at me like I was supposed to fall all over myself for him.

"Hey, baby. There's more where that came from if you wanna trot that sexy little body over here."

I smiled and walked over to him. He grew even more smug, until my fist connected with his face. Along with the stun gun that Adrian made me carry, we also went to a few self-defense classes. I knew how to throw a punch. The guy called me a crazy bitch then stumbled further back into the crowd. I shook my hand out and finally made it to the bar where I found Adrian hunched over a tumbler of scotch. There were a few girls floating around him trying to get his attention, but his focus was solely on his glass.

I sat down next to him and turned his face to me. He looked at me then looked down, embarrassed. "Sydney, what are you doing here?"

I forced him to look back up at me, grabbing his chin. "This," I said pressing my lips to his. I kissed him as hard as I could, not thinking, trying to take the hurt away. He wrapped my hair around his hand, using it as leverage to bring me closer. After a few moments, I pulled back, just enough so our noses were touching. "She's wrong. You know she's wrong. Fuck Dartmouth. You're going to art school. I've never met someone as talented as you."

He quickly pulled away and stood up. I worried that I had messed up by bringing it back up, but he pulled me to my feet and into the dance crowd. He pressed against me and kissed me again. He leaned down to my ear so I could hear him over the blaring music, "There's no way you are going to get all dressed up, look that sexy, and not dance with me."

We danced almost recklessly, song after song. After we were both sweaty and worn out, we headed out of the club. Before we reached the door, I noticed the guy I had punched earlier lingering at the door, talking to Dimitri. He looked at me, rubbing his bruised jaw. He scowled and pointed me out to Dimitri, no doubt telling him what I had done. Dimitri laughed and pushed the guy into the parking lot. When we got to the door, Dimitri stuck out his hand for me to shake.

"Sounds like you handled yourself well in there and got what you came for. Tell Roza I said she keeps excellent company."

Adrian stopped for a minute at hearing Dimitri. "Wait a second. Don't fucking tell me that you're-"

I pulled him away. "Babe, pick your battles. Save this one for later." I thanked Dimitri again and pulled Adrian to the car. I decided Adrian should probably sober up a little more before I took him back home, so I drove to Pies and Stuff for food and coffee.

I ordered Adrian a cup of coffee and told them to make it as strong as they could, along with two cheeseburgers- the "Stuff" of Pies and Stuff. We sat across from each other, not saying anything, when Adrian took my hand in his own. When he squeezed it, I cringed and we both looked at my hand to find that my knuckles were dark purple.

"Sage!" Adrian exclaimed. "What the hell did you do? Punch a wall?"

"Um… Not a wall. Just a handsy, smug drunk. He grabbed my ass when I was trying to get to you at the bar, so I punched him in the jaw."

Adrian stopped and stared at me. I looked down at the table, embarrassed.

"Sydney. That is the hottest thing I've ever heard. Between that and that dress, I may get arrested tonight for public indecency."

I stuttered, "Wh-what?"

"Sage. Let me make this perfectly clear. Right now, I would much prefer that that dress be on my floor."

Luckily, Mason brought our food to the table before I had to respond. My cheeks were on fire. Adrian had always been a direct guy, but he had never been so explicit towards me. I had no idea what to say so I just ate my burger while Adrian laughed at me. I smiled at him, glad to see him in better spirits.

"Adrian… Do you want to talk about tonight?"

He violently shook his head. "No. Not yet. I need a little time to think about it all."

I nodded. "If it's any consolation, Ms. Terwilliger said she would marry you if you would make her more of that chili."  
He grinned and began to eat his burger. He was halfway through with his food when his head snapped to the counter of the diner. "Mason, if you don't stop staring at my girlfriend, I'll jump over that counter and make a new Mason-flavored pie."

Mason jumped up, went into the back of the diner and didn't come out until we got in the car.


	29. Chapter 29: Reassurance

**Quick chapter before Sydney and Adrian revisit the conversation at the diner. Hope you enjoy. Character credit to Richelle Mead. Thank you to all who reviewed my last chapters 3 R/R**

 **XOXO**

 **M**

He had sobered up by the time we got back to the house and I could tell he was skittish about going back into the house. He sat against the side of the car as if he could hide from life that way.

"I know what's going to happen when I get in there, Sage. My mother is going to look at me like I'm the fuck up she expects me to be. A drunken artist with no future. Is she wrong? Every time she comes here I end up proving her right. I can't deal with how I feel so I go to try and lose myself. And I prove her right."

"Adrian Ivashkov. You are so much more than your bitch of a mother thinks you are. I'm sorry but you are one of the most talented people I know. Your paintings make people feel things, Adrian. Your passion for art is one of the reasons why I love you. And if I had to have your mother, I would self-medicate, too. So don't you dare think for a single fucking minute that that soulless pantsuit wearing she-bitch knows anything about you or your value."

I was red in the face and breathless when I finished my tirade. Adrian stared at me, surprise plastered on his face, his mouth hanging open. I realized after my outburst that I had called Adrian's mom several rude things and that I may have seriously overstepped. Even though she made him feel awful, he still loved her. Otherwise, he wouldn't feel such a need to please her.

"Adrian? Please say something… I'm sorry if I overstepped- I didn't mean to, I just get so mad sometimes and my filter slips."

"You see me in a way that no one else does, Sydney. In ways that I can't see and I love you so much for it. You believe in me when no one else will. Thank you." He pulled me in close for a hug. "Thank you so much."

I kissed him deeply. "Let's go inside. Sleep off tonight."

"That sounds like a great idea. We could probably both use a shower. Me more than you. Somehow even though we were both in the same sweaty crowd, I smell like a gross club tinged with booze and you still smell spring fresh."  
I laughed and winked, "Girl trade secrets. I'll never reveal them."

He wrapped his arm around me, "Let's do this." We walked into the house, ready for whatever may come.


	30. Chapter 30- Dress? Meet Floor

**QUICK WARNING: THIS CHAPTER GETS STEAMY. I wouldn't really call it explicit, but it's not innocent either. Let's go with a PG-13 rating. I hope you guys enjoy it, I feel like some of you have been praying this chapter would come for a long time. Here you go lovelies. Not my characters, but it is my plot.**

 **XOXO**

 **M**

Adrian tensed as he walked in and saw his mother still on the couch, reading what looked like business documents. She glanced up and looked both of us up and down with passive disgust and disappointment. "Adrian, partying again. Why am I not surprised? At least it's not a school night. And, Sydney. I always knew you enabled Adrian's more reckless behavior, but this is worse than I thought. I moved my flight to Dublin to tomorrow morning instead of Sunday morning. The extra day will help me recover before a very important meeting. Adrian? You understand, right?" She smiled serenely, like we were exchanging pleasant conversation.

I had seen Adrian fired up before, more times than I could count. Never before like this. "You don't know anything about me or Sydney! Getting stumbling drunk is the only way I can manage to deal with your little 'visits'. I'm a damn good artist and you're too up your own ass to see that. I'm not going to be you and I'm sure as hell going to be dad because I actually have a soul. If you were really a mother, you would know that until tonight, I haven't been drunk since your last visit. When was that? Months ago? I'm so glad you care enough to see me four times a year. And as for Sydney? She is the most kind and brilliant person I've ever met in my entire life. So you can wipe the look disdain of your face, you heinous bitch. She's a million times the person you will ever be."

She stood, straightened her shoulders, and looked steadily at him. "Adrian, don't wear yourself out. I don't have time for childish monologues. I'm going to bed. She started to walk to her bedroom, then turned back briefly. "Oh, and Sydney? I moved your things into the guestroom. It's not suitable for an unmarried couple to share a room."

Adrian fumed and let out an infuriated growl. He grabbed my hand and tugged me towards the stairs. "Adrian, slow down! I'm at a disadvantage in these heels."

He stopped, looked at my shoes, then scooped me up in his arms. I squealed and he proceeded to carry me up with rest of stairs. When we got to his room, he let me down. "How are you not winded? You carried me up two flights of stairs."

"How do you still not realize that you are smaller than you think you are?" I laughed.

His eyes darkened and took on a look different from anything I've ever seen. "Sydney. Please don't be afraid to tell me to stop if you feel uncomfortable."

I looked at him confused and started to ask his what he meant when he pulled me tight against him in a deep kiss. His hand tangled in my hair, using it as leverage to pull me closer. He tugged lightly at the hair at the nape of my neck, making me tilt my head back. He took advantage of this angle, kissing my neck. I heard an odd breathy sound, like a cross between a sigh and a moan then realized I was the one making it. All thoughts in my head ceased as my focus narrowed to the overpowering sensation of his lips on my collarbones- that is until his hand moved from my hair to my chest. It wasn't the first time his hands had roamed there but the sensation always took me by surprise.

"Adrian…" I said breathlessly. He groaned in reply and his mouth travelled up from my collarbones back to my mouth. I tried to keep up with his eager kisses and stumbled backwards until the wall was behind me, which he used to his advantage, pressing himself firmly against me, pinning me to the wall with his body.

I slid my hands up and down the front of his silk button up then began unbuttoning it, my hands moving lightning fast. My hands roamed his chest and he practically growled. "Sage, you are driving me wild."

He pulled back suddenly with a serious look on his face. Without saying anything, but keeping steady eye contact with me, he reached behind me, found the zipper of my dress, and slowly pulled it down. I could tell by his look and his speed that he was giving me every opportunity to say no. I knew that I probably should say no- but I wasn't going to.

Once he had finished unzipping my dress, he pushed it off my shoulders and it fell around my ankles. He gasped when he realized that I was wearing even less than he had expected. I smiled, amused. "Adrian, you do realize that dresses like that come with their own padding because the way they are cut makes it impossible to wear a bra."

"Holy shit, Sage." He stood looking at me like he was in shock. Suddenly I felt really unsure of myself. Was he repulsed by what he saw? Was this all a big mistake? I crossed my arms over my chest self-consciously.

He shook his head and said no, gently pushing my arms down and kissing me. "Sydney, without sounding like a complete perv, I have been dreaming of this moments since I was thirteen. This exact moment. Although usually you were wearing a French maid costume."

I laughed. "Kinda pervy, but I'll let it slide." I kissed him back, then stepped out of my dress, using the moment to also step out of my heels. He picked me up and I wrapped my legs around his waist. He backed me up against the wall to support me while his hands focused on my chest. This went on for a while before he pulled back and cleared his throat.

"Um, Sydney? I'm going to go ahead and guess that this is as far as things are going tonight?" I nodded, blushing deeply.

"Then I am going to say that we stop for tonight and I am going to go take a shower. I need to, um, fix some things."

"I'll need one after you and trust me, I noticed that you might have to fix something." This time it was his turn to flush bright red- something Adrian does not do often. I winked, "It's the price you pay for wearing tight pants, love. Not that you could only blame it on the pants."

I hopped down, kissed him on the cheek, and grabbed the shirt he was wearing before and slid it on. "I'm gonna need a shower, too, so don't use all the hot water. I'm going to grab some underwear and pajamas from the guest room."

I turned and heard him mumble under his breath, "Wouldn't worry about the hot water. I've never needed a cold shower more in my life."


	31. Chapter 31: The Ultimatum

**Short chapter, I know. But writing the upcoming chapter would be way too emotionally draining right now. I just moved away from home and my new roommate is Satan Jr. But I couldn't leave you guys hanging so long- although you may hate me after this. Shout out to all my awesome reviewers. Seeing your reviews make me so happy, I can't even tell you guys how much. All love,**

 **XOXO**

 **M**

On my way back to the guest room, I heard footsteps behind me, the gait not unlike a military march. I sighed, knowing Daniella was behind me.

"Honestly, you two don't have the decency to not copulate while I'm in the house?" I blushed with anger and embarrassment.

"For your information, Adrian and I are not having sex. Not that it's your business. Once you start acting like a mother, you can have a say in his life."

She stood shocked that I had spoken out to her like that. She was used to making snide remarks to me and me not responding. It was what my father had conditioned me to do, but I wasn't that person anymore. I wasn't going to take shit from the likes of Daniella Ivashkov.

"Well, well. Looks like Adrian's little crush grew a spine. How quaint. I expect you to be gone in three days. Otherwise, I cut off Adrian's trust fund and he can kiss any kind of college goodbye. Along with being kicked out of the house with you. Have a goodnight." She smirked and turned, knowing that she had me where she wanted me. I could never put Adrian's future in jeopardy. Realizing the mistake, I had made, I started to cry, the tears staining Adrian's silk shirt.

I went to the guest room and found my bags in the closet and my clothes in the drawers. I slowly began packing, hating every moment but knowing that I didn't have any other choice. Once everything was packed, I quietly took my bags to the trunk of his car. I didn't know what I was going to do, but I knew that Daniella would stand true to her threat. I decided, in one more act of boldness, that I would negotiate the conditions of my banishment. I slammed back into the house and flung her door open. She had her e-reader in one hand and a glass of Merlot in another.

"I'll leave. But you have to let Adrian go to college for art. Not business. Let him pursue his art career and you won't have to worry about me ever again."

She took a long sip of her wine, staring at me. "Fine. I'll let Adrian be frivolous a little longer as long as you move your harlot ass out of my house. I'm not here often enough to make sure he stays away from you completely, nor do I have the desire to be here. Stay out of my house and I'll accept your demands- only because I'm a very generous person and your presence makes my wine taste bad."

I rolled my eyes. "And for the remainder of my stay, I get to sleep wherever I want to sleep."

"As long as you aren't snuggled up in this bed, I don't care. Now leave."

I walked out, feeling six inches small.


	32. Chapter 32: Love Me Before I Go

**It's been forever, but I got an itch to write tonight and couldn't forgive myself for how I left this fic. It was (and is) still so unfinished, but I hope this makes up (even a little) for all the lost time. Since it's been so long, I don't know if anyone will read it, but here's hoping.**

 **XOXO**

 **-M**

When I got back to Adrian's room, he was out of the shower, shirtless with sweatpants slung low on his hips. I smiled at him, trying to conceal everything I was feeling. I couldn't let him see how sad I was. He'd ask why I was upset and I'd have to tell him everything. Inevitably, he'd try to talk me out of leaving, putting himself at risk of being penniless and homeless. Trying to save face and think of anything else, I asked him how his shower was. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me, nuzzling my neck.

"Would've been better with you in it. You know, help me scrub my back and everything." He pulled back and gave me a devilish wink. Suddenly, I wanted to do nothing more than cry. How could I leave? How could I give him up? I pulled him into a long kiss, almost begging him to get me out of my head. When I broke the kiss, I was entranced by how brightly his eyes shone with love and longing. I realized I couldn't wait. I needed every bit of Adrian I could get. If I had to leave, I needed to savor every moment I had.

He noticed the change in my expression and looked at me confused. "Sage, what's going on in that head of yours? You're looking at me funny." I didn't say anything, I simply replied by unbuttoning the silk shirt I had stolen from him earlier. Realization slowly dawned on him. "Sage, what are you doing? Are you…? Do you…? What's…?" I slipped the shirt off, standing only in my underwear in front of him.

I kissed him again, far more urgently than I ever had. He responded in kind, his hands moving to my ass to pick me up. I wrapped my legs around his waist and he carried me to his bed. "Sydney," he said seriously, "are you sure you're ready? Please don't feel pressured because of earlier. We can stop at any time."

"I know. I need this, Adrian. I need as much of you as I can get. I need to do this." I slid a hand over his back then down under the waistband of his sweatpants. "Please," I whimpered.

At that, he growled and began kissing along my jawline and neck, his hands roaming down to my chest. I moaned and he groaned into my ear. "Fuck, Sage. Do you have any idea how irresistible you are? I've never met anyone I craved so much. I've thought about this so many times and even in my wildest dreams I never pictured such perfection."

I squirmed underneath him, growing almost unbearably warm. "Adrian, please. I need you to make love to me." He pulled back and stared at me in awe.

"Please say that again."

"I need you to make love to me."

And dear god, did he. I expected it to hurt because that's all I'd ever heard. Your first time was supposed to be awkward and painful, an embarrassing story you tell later with red cheeks and rolling eyes. With Adrian, it was bliss. He went slowly, making sure I was comfortable the whole time. Before now, I didn't understand why sex was such a big deal. Now I knew. I was so consumed with thoughts of Adrian and so in awe of him, all of my other problems had melted away. When it was over, I tingled from the top of my head to the soles of my feet. I panted heavily, feeling tired and a little sore, yet I also felt like I had transcended onto another plane.

With his arm thrown across me, his chest pressed to my back, Adrian asked, "Are you okay?"

I couldn't answer at first, forgetting all other words but his name (which I had repeated almost like a mantra while we were intertwined). "Sage, are you okay?" he asked more urgently.

"I've never felt this incredible in my life. I could fly if you asked me." With that, I fell asleep in his arms.


	33. Chapter 33: Long Drive

**Long time, no see, loves. And so it continues.**

How could I leave? It was all I could think when I woke up in his arms, our legs tangled together, his breath moving my hair. I knew I had made it harder for myself, having sex with him right before I had to leave. I did it because I needed to be as close to him as possible. I loved him with my entire being and I wanted him to know it. I wanted know all of him.

How could I leave? The thought cut through my brain like an iron hot wire, wrapping around it. He began to stir and pulled me closer, murmuring something incoherently. He was in that adorable in-between state of asleep and awake—sometimes in this state he would tell me about the crazy dream he had involving the president declaring raccoons only be referred to as trash pandas or about how we had to go deep sea fishing for pancakes. He rarely remembered anything he said when he told me these things, but would answer questions like he was fully aware of the situation.

"Sage, I had a dream we had a cottage with lilies everywhere but no yellow ones. You don't like the yellow ones. I'd never seen so many books in my life and how the hell did you get a red panda as a pet? I'm sorry I spilled that purple paint on the carpet, I was just trying to paint a mural of your aura. You're so beautiful. What was the red panda's name?"

All of this came out in a slew of words, almost as if the thoughts were one giant sentence. I fought hard between laughing and crying. If his bitch of a mother would just let me stay. Or let Adrian go. Why did I have to go? I decided against both laughing and crying. "His name is Edouard. He's a very dignified, Parisian red panda. Adrian, what would you do if I had to go?"

"Go where? I'll come with you. Edouard can come too, but I'm pretty sure red pandas can't be French." He began to doze off again, leaning more towards the asleep end of the spectrum. I carefully slipped out of his embrace, which had loosened when he drifted back off. If I were going to make my escape, it'd be now. I grabbed my bag, texted Jill to meet me at Spencer's. As I walked out of the house, I passed Daniella sipping some disgusting shit green colored juice. She didn't bother to look up from her e-reader, but I could see her smirk. I waited until I closed the door behind me to release the buckets of tears that I'd been holding in all morning.

When I got to Spencer's, I was a puffy, snotty mess. Ms. Terwilliger looked deeply alarmed, but knew better than to prod me. She simply brought me two coffees and a blueberry bagel and slipped away from the table silently. When Jill got there, she sat at the table and waited quietly for me to tell her everything. Adrian's mom, our deal, the sex, me now being homeless again. After I finished and my lungs felt deflated from my sobbing and long-winded monologue, she stood up, hugged me, and grabbed my bag from beside me.

"Come on. You know there is always a room at my house for you. We'll figure something out."

I nodded numbly and hugged her again.

"Go to the bathroom and clean up. I need to make a phone call, just let my mom know what's up. I'll be outside when you are ready."

I went to the bathroom as instructed and tried to make myself look less miserable. I didn't want to listen to anyone at school gossip about why I came in looking puffy and pathetic. When I stepped out of the bathroom, I could hear someone shouting outside the coffee shop. Not someone. No, it was Adrian. Adrian was shouting outside the coffee shop.

"What the hell are you talking about, Jill? Why the fuck is Sydney moving in with you? We were great last night and now she's leaving me? Why won't she just answer her goddamned phone? I love her. She knows I'll be there for her through anything, why is she shutting me out?"

I was grateful that Jill hadn't told him why I left, but I knew I needed to face him. I couldn't hurt him like this. I walked out to see Jill getting increasingly upset. Adrian's face looked broken when he saw me, red-eyed from crying, still sniffling. He pulled me close to him. "Sage, did we move too fast? Please don't leave, we can fix this."

I decided I had to tell him, but I also couldn't let him make the decision he would want to make. Embracing the wild streak Adrian had helped me grow into, I looked at him fiercely. "We're going for a drive."

I looked at Jill. "Thank you for everything. I'll see you tonight. Please grab my homework and stuff from Rose. I won't be there today."

With that, I grabbed Adrian's keys from his hand, slid into the passenger seat of his car that was haphazardly parked in front of the shop and waited until he got in to peel out of the parking lot.

"Okay, you are going to listen until I finish and I am not stopping this car until we have agreed that you agree to act rationally. Got it?"


	34. Chapter 34: Kashmir

Only three months between updates? Gee, I'm getting better at this. Sorry for the sporadic updating. I could cite college, work, and boyfriend as excuses but really it's just severe writer's block. I don't own the characters, but the plot is my own.R/R

Love from a coffee shop,

XOXO

M

"Sydney, what the fuck is going on? Where are you driving to? You are aware that the speed limit isn't a suggestion, right?"

I slowed my speed at his last comment. I didn't have the money to pay for a speeding ticket. "We aren't driving to anywhere. We're just driving. You're going to listen until I stop talking, okay? I made this decision for the both of us. Your mom told me that if I didn't leave, she would kick you out and cut you off. No house, no college, nothing. I'm not worth you losing everything, so I'm moving out. Jill said I could stay with her." I was fighting tears again as the words poured out.

"Sage, you are everything to me. How could you let her win like that? I can figure something out. You should trust me enough to know that I can figure something out, dammit. Why would you make this decision by yourself? It affects both of us," he fumed.

"Because I'm not going to let you throw away everything for me. She said if I left, you could go to art school. If I stay, we're both broke, out on our asses. I'll be fine. I'm just moving out. It's not like I'm breaking up with you. You know I wouldn't do that."

He was silent for several moments after that. "I'm still upset that you didn't talk to me about it first. I know you are trying to protect me, but clue me in."

I just nodded, tears spilling down my cheeks. We continued to drive for a couple hours, the already-spoken words hanging in the air, reminding us that so much had suddenly changed. Up ahead there was a dive bar advertising a Led Zeppelin cover band and discounted burgers. I took a sharp turn into the parking lot, making Adrian let loose a cry of "holy fuck!"

"Sage, why are we here? I doubt we will fit in with the biker types here."

"I'm hungry, you like Zeppelin, and they probably have pool."

He shook his head indignantly, but followed me inside where there were indeed many bikers and guys who looked like they ate pretty boys like my boyfriend alongside their morning black coffee. The bartender gruffly nodded at a few empty seats at the bar and came over.

"We don't have any microbrews or IPAs so don't fucking ask."

Adrian tried to not laugh and requested a Coke. I, on the other hand, wanted something stronger. "What do you have on tap?"

"We have Budweiser, Miller Lite, Sam Adams, and Stella. Looking at you I'm guessing you want the Stella." She wasn't wrong.

"Biggest one you have."

"32 ounce it is."

Adrian looked at me in shock. "Damn Sage. Letting your hair down?"

The bartender cut off my response by slamming a giant mug of beer down in front of me. As that glass approached empty, the night got wilder. It started with Adrian and I playing pool and progressed to me dirty dancing on his to a semi-decent cover of Kashmir, proving when drunk you can indeed dance to anything. As we went to leave, he ushered me into the passenger seat of the car and pulled me close. I thought he was going to kiss me, but instead he whispered in my ear, "Thank you for telling me the truth. I thought I had lost you."

I snuggled closer to him. "I'm sorry I had to hurt you." We were going to be okay.

He dropped me off at Jill's, on my way back to sobriety. When he parked the car, he kissed me goodnight, looking forlorn that he could stay with me. With some drunken courage, I asked him a question that had been put on the back burner of my brain in the midst of all the drama. "How was last night for you? I know you've been with other girls before and I know I'm not experienced…"

He stopped me by kissing me. "Sage, it was better than I could have ever dreamed." Then he got the most devilish grin on his face. "That thing that you did with your hips towards the end…"

I turned bright red and quickly got out of the car. I couldn't think about that right now. I wasn't fully sober and I was more than willing to christen the car, but I knew that was far from the best idea. He winked and drove away. Maybe we will be alright after all.


End file.
